WASHINGTON: Leaders of India can know that nations around the world support them in the face of the latest terrorist attack and they can count on
the world's oldest democracy to stand by their side, President Bush said in a statement on Saturday on the Mumbai carnage, adding lavish praise for the idea of India and spirit of the Indian people. ( Watch )
Arriving at the White House from his Camp David getaway, Bush read out a formal statement as soon as he stepped off his chopper with his wife Laura, adding to his earlier expressions of support and condolences. "The killers who struck this week are brutal and violent, but terror will not have the final word," Bush said, adding, "People of India are resilient. People of India are strong. They have built a vibrant, multiethnic democracy that can withstand this trial. Their financial capital of Mumbai will continue to be the center of commerce and prosperity."
The US President, now at the tail-end of his presidency, said he had been monitoring the situation through the crisis, including holding a video conference this morning with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, India's envoy to Washington Ronen Sen, and the US Consul General in Mumbai, to review the situation. He had also spoken to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday morning and kept President-elect Barack Obama abreast of the developments.
"We pledge the full support of the United States as India investigates these attacks, brings the guilty to justice, and sustained its democratic way of life," Bush said.
The US President made no reference to Pakistan or its intelligence agency ISI, whose alleged role in the terror attack has attracted universal revulsion and disgust. He ended his brief remarks saying "May God bless the people of India." But officials said Bush had offered US help and cooperation on every front - from intelligence to forensics to technical help - to bring the masterminds behind the Mumbai massacre to justice.
Earlier, President-elect Barack Obama also called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to offer condolences and support in India's hour of crisis. In a separate statement, Obama too lavished praise on India's resilience, saying, "These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them."
"The United States must stand with India and all nations and people who are committed to destroying terrorist networks, and defeating their hate-filled ideology," he added.