http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/06/india.obama.trip/index.html?hpt=T2
Mumbai, India (CNN) -- U.S. President Barack Obama struck a defiant tone in the
first speech of his trip to India, saying Saturday that his stay at the Mumbai
hotel attacked by terrorists two years ago is "absolutely" intended to send a
message.
"We visit here to send a very clear message that, in our determination to give
our people a future of security and prosperity, the United States and India
stand united," Obama said at Mumbai's famous Taj Mahal Palace hotel, which came
under siege in November 2008.
The attacks killed 164 people, including more than 30 staff members and guests
at the Taj.
"We'll never forget how the world, including the American people, watched and
grieved with all of India," Obama said. "But the resolve and the resilience of
the Indian people during those attacks stood in stark contrast to the savagery
of the terrorists. The murderers came to kill innocent civilians that day, but
those of you here risked everything to save human life."
Just before the speech, Obama and his wife, Michelle, signed a memorial
guestbook for the victims. In his message, Obama wrote about eradicating the
"scourge" of terrorism and affirming "our lasting friendship with the Indian
people."
Obama's commemoration of those attacks during his first event here underlined
the importance that the United States is placing on boosting collaboration in
dealing with terrorism believed to be centered in the region across India's
western borders, analysts say.
Obama goes to Mumbai
What's the true cost of Obama's trip?
RELATED TOPICS
* Barack Obama
* Asia-Pacific Politics
* Terrorism
* India
"Obama's Mumbai visit is symbolic of the perspective India and the United
States share on terrorism. It should lead to strengthening of counterterrorism
efforts," said V.P. Malik, India's former army chief.
The 2008 attacks, blamed on Pakistani-based militants, derailed a fragile peace
process between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Under U.S. pressure, the two nuclear-capable states held talks this year in an
attempt to resume their fully fledged dialogue, but progress has been slow.
Mumbai is India's financial hub, and talks on business and trade were also a
focus of Obama's three days here. Hundreds of American business leaders and
chief executives traveled to Mumbai with the president.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, and
Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID, the humanitarian aid agency, joined Obama for a
meeting later with entrepreneurs.
Obama's three-day visit to India, Asia's third largest economy and one of the
world's few growth markets, also includes meeting with Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh in New Delhi and addressing the nation's parliament.
"The simple truth is that India's rise, and its strength and progress on the
global stage, is deeply in the strategic interest of the United States," said
William Burns, under-secretary at the U.S. State Department, during a briefing
on Obama's trip.
Obama's visit can also help balance regional geopolitics in the face of what is
now seen as an increasingly assertive China, said Uday Bhaskar, director of the
National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi.
The Chinese and Indian prime ministers met in October in a bid to ease growing
tensions despite flourishing trade between the two neighbors.
China's support to Pakistan, India's accommodation of the exiled Tibetan
leader, the Dalai Lama, and a decades-old border dispute between the two sides
are points of friction as the economic powerhouses jockey for influence in the
region.
After India, Obama travels to Indonesia, then on to the G-20 meeting in South
Korea and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in Japan.
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