By Krittivas Mukherjee
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Ensuring justice in last November's Mumbai attack is a "high priority" for President Obama and the United States will keep pressing Pakistan for action against its planners, a top U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday.
The comments by Timothy Roemer, the new U.S. ambassador to India, are the strongest remark from the United States in recent months as India complains of slow progress by Pakistan in punishing those behind the attack.
India blames Pakistan-based militants for the raid that killed 166 people and renewed tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.
New Delhi said it was halting a 2004 peace process until Pakistan closed down "terrorist networks" on its soil.
"The al-Qaeda, the Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba ... we have a common enemy with India. And we are pressing Pakistan hard on the Mumbai suspects," said Roemer, who served on the commission to investigate the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
"So this is a high priority for the president (Obama) and a high priority for the government to work with India on these efforts and to bring the perpetrators of this brutal attack, this blood-thirsty attack on Mumbai to justice."
India and Pakistan have shown signs of moving forward, opening an official level dialogue, partly pushed by Washington which wants the two countries to reduce tensions so that Islamabad can concentrate on fighting Islamist militants on its Afghan border.
But their formal peace process remains suspended. Continued... link.....
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