- (AFP) - The United States urged India and Pakistan to
tone down their rhetoric after last week's attack on the Indian parliament
boosted tension between the nuclear rivals US officials fear "could
spiral out of control."
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- The White House and the State Department said the two
south Asian nuclear rivals needed to weigh carefully any steps they take
to deal with the December 13 suicide assault, which India blames on
Pakistan-based
Islamic militants.
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- Spokesmen for both urged the two countries to proceed
carefully, telling India to back off on accusations of who was responsible
for the attack until an investigation is complete and advising Pakistan
it needed to move against extremists.
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- "India has a legitimate right to self-defense,"
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, noting President George W. Bush's
concerns about actions taken by either side that could prove
precipitous.
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- "At the same time, the president counsels that this
is a very difficult situation in the region, and one that could spiral
out of control," he said.
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- Bush "urges that both sides share information, work
with each other and take no action that would in any way hinder the war
against terrorism, to which both India and Pakistan have committed
themselves."
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- At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said
Washington was in close touch with both capitals, advising
restraint.
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- Boucher made clear that Indian threats and predictions
of a response against Pakistan before New Delhi's investigation into the
attack was complete were not helpful.
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- "I realize there have been some comments by the
Indian authorities about these attacks, but formally we understand they
are continuing their investigation into these brutal attacks," Boucher
said.
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- "We're looking to India to finish its
investigation,"
he told reporters at least twice, adding that only then would it be right
for Indian officials to "consider what action might be
appropriate."
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- At the same time, Boucher said Pakistan must take steps
to control extremist violence emanating from within its territory.
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- "They need to address terrorist activities within
their borders, especially the activities of militant groups," he
said.
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- "Pakistan needs to be concerned about the activities
of militant groups within its border and needs to take appropriate action
on its part."
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- New Delhi and Islamabad have waged a war of words since
13 people, including the five gunmen, were killed in the parliament
attack.
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- The attack shocked India and sparked calls for immediate
retaliation.
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- Earlier Monday, India said it was mulling "all
options"
including a military response to the strike it claims was backed by
Pakistani
military intelligence and executed by two Pakistan-based Islamic guerrilla
groups -- Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
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- Pakistan has condemned the attack, denied its secret
services were involved and warned India against any reprisal.
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- Islamabad has also offered to conduct a joint
investigation
with India if New Delhi is willing to share the evidence it has accumulated
so far -- an offer Indian officials received skeptically.
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- A senior State Department official said Washington told
Indian officials it "would like India to move carefully and
methodically
in determining who was responsible and what has to be done."
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- "In the meantime we would like to see the Pakistani
government take some steps to show that they are serious about combating
militants within their borders," the official said, declining to
elaborate.
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- Boucher said the State Department's counter-terrorism
coordinator Francis Taylor would soon travel to India for discussions on
improving cooperation in that area between Washington and New Delhi.
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- No time frame was established for Taylor's trip or
whether
he would also travel to Pakistan.
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