Britain’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox Monday reiterated that the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks “should be brought to justice” and that a stable Pakistan is in the interests of the international community.
“The UK government has repeatedly emphasized that the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack should be brought to justice. Our Prime Minister David Cameron made crystal clear our country’s position… A stable, democratic and successful Pakistan is in all our longterm interest,” Fox said here addressing a session titled UK Defence and Strategic Review.
Calling transnational terrorism a “cancer that will eat us all”, he said that Britain’s counter terror strategy with Pakistan includes building a longterm relationship with Pakistan and continuing to work with the Pakistani government to tackle all extremist groups.
Appreciating India’s contribution in Afghanistan, he said that the international community is grateful to India for its $1.2 billion aid to Afghanistan.
“We have recognised that there is no fully military solution to end the insurgency in Afghanistan. The ultimate solution is a political settlement that will preserve Afghanistan territorially by supporting the Afghan government and also by not upsetting the regional security balance,” he said.
He pointed out that with economies and people linked threats originating from one part of the globe can become a threat to all parts of the globe very quickly.
He said that defence has a major role to play in the bilateral ties of the two countries.
“We wish to accelerate the bilateral programme of exchanges, training and equipment cooperation wherever we can. Ours is a partnership based on democratic values, mutual respect and shared challenges for the future.”
Referring to Indian Air Force’s $11.3 billion bid for 126 fighter planes in which Eurofighter Typhoon is a contender, he said that the Typhoon has “performed outstandingly in the evaluation by IAF.”
He also said that following his visit, India will see a series of visits from his ministry in the next six months.
Fox, on a two-day visit, is set to hold talks with his counterpart A.K. Antony Tuesday.
