Washington, May 9
As targets of international terrorism, democratic nations India, USA and Israel should form an alliance to combat the scourge and develop multilateral mechanism to counter it, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra has said.
Mr Mishra, who is here on a two-day visit for interaction with key Bush administration officials, said the three countries "have to jointly face the same ugly face of modern-day terrorism" and "such an alliance would have the political will and moral authority to take bold decisions in extreme cases of terrorist provocation”.
"It would not get bogged down in causal arguments about terrorism. Blocking financial supplies, disrupting networks, sharing intelligence, simplifying extradition procedures — these are preventive measures which can only be effective through international cooperation based on trust and shared values," he said at the American Jewish Committee's annual dinner yesterday.
Mr Mishra dismissed as "nonsense" justifications advanced by some countries for terrorism by calling it "freedom struggle" and arguing that terrorism can only be eradicated by addressing its "root causes."
Terrorist attacks against innocents, said Mr Mishra, "have no justification. Democratic societies, which address the 'root causes' of alienation and anger through pluralism and socio-economic justice, are precisely the targets of terrorism."
PTI
