Russia Indignant With Attack On Indian Parliament

Talking to his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh on the phone, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov expressed indignation with the attack on the Indian parliament and declared himself to be in favour of prosecuting and punishing the masterminds of this action. Jaswant Singh, who is also head of the defence ministry, accounted for the increased tensions in South Asia by Pakistan having accommodated Kashmir separatists being responsible for the outrage with the Indian parliament on December 13. The sides reiterated their conviction that terrorism has turned into one of the most formidable challenges to mankind and therefore no dual standards are acceptable in handling it. The ministers also touched upon recent developments in Afghanistan, welcoming the swearing-in of the Karzai-led provisional administration in Kabul and confirming their countries' desire to promote social and economic revival of the country.