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CNN Live Event/Special

Powell Meets With Lal Krishna Adel

Aired January 09, 2002 - 15:32   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: To two gentlemen who have been talking about international issues here. You are looking at Secretary of State Colin Powell, who has been meeting with the Indian home minister, Lal Krishna Adel.

COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It's been my great pleasure to receive and welcome Home Minister Advani. We've had a good exchange of views. We began by concentrating on what we both agree is the strength of the relationship between the United States and India and how both sides are committed to strengthening the relationship even more in the months ahead.

President Bush is committed to expanding the depth of our exchanges with respect to economic activities, military cooperation, all of the areas of interest that two great democracies would have in common with one another.

We, of course, talked about the campaign against terrorism, and I committed to the home minister, as the president has committed to the prime minister and I have to the foreign minister on many occasions, that this is a campaign against all forms of terrorism. It's a campaign to which the United States and the president are committed with patience and persistence, and we will work with all of our friends to remove this scourge from the face of the Earth and as a threat to civilization.

We reviewed the situation in Afghanistan and the progress we have made, how terrorism is being defeated there and how a new government is being brought into being to provide hope to the people of Afghanistan. And we committed ourself to reconstruction efforts.

We also talked about the situation that exists between India and Pakistan, and I indicated to the home minister that the United States was very hopeful that this situation could be dealt with through political and diplomatic means, and we're lending all of our efforts to that end. But it has to include a condemnation of terrorism of any kind, because it is no longer acceptable in the 21st century for nations to live under this kind of threat.

And so, I was pleased to receive the minister. And I now invite him to say a word or two, then we can one or two questions before he has to make his next appointment.

Thank you very much.

ADVANI: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: And you see they have wrapped up their rather short remarks there. Secretary Powell there has been meeting with the Indian home minister, under whose purview back in India is the issue there of domestic security. He says that he did speak with Secretary Powell about the issue of terrorism in India, specifically the issue of Pakistan's supported terrorists who have been executing different acts in India.

He was asked specifically, Secretary Powell was, about whether or not 20 suspected terrorists who are right now in Pakistan, whether or not the secretary or someone in the U.S. has requested that Pakistani President Musharraf turn those 20 over to India, as India has requested. Secretary Powell sort of sidestepped that, saying that he has discussed the list with President Musharraf and he hopes that he takes the appropriate action.

The secretary for -- the home minister, rather, from India, did not really have any comments to add, although he did say that the attorney general for the U.S., Ashcroft, has been invited to visit India and he has accepted the invitation as well.

Now we should mention one final note: Secretary Powell did announce that he is going to be going to the region. He is going to go to Tokyo to talk -- to meet at the reconstruction-of-Afghanistan talks that are going to be held in Tokyo. But while he is over there, he is going to take that opportunity to travel to India and to Pakistan to speak with those leaders. He hasn't made up his mind yet about going to Afghanistan specifically. We know that trip is going to take place January 15 through the 21.

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