5th indian -us meet on terrorism

The fifth meeting of the India-US Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism was held on July 11-12, 2002 in Washington D.C. Coordinator for Counterterrorism Francis X. Taylor hosted the meeting at the Department of State. Joint Secretary Jayant Prasad of the Ministry of External Affairs headed the Indian delegation. Both delegations included officials and experts from their respective governments in line with the multi-disciplinary approach needed to successfully fight terrorism.
The India-US Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism was established in January 2000. The Joint Working Group has met three times in the past twelve months, reflecting the importance that the two sides attach to international cooperation in combating terrorism. The past year has been a watershed for the two democracies in confronting the challenge of terrorism. During this period, India and the United States have accomplished much in their counterterrorism cooperation.

The two delegations reviewed the international terrorist situation, including in South Asia, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. They shared their assessment of the impact of the military, law enforcement, financial and other measures taken against terrorists and their networks over the last six months. They expressed satisfaction at the progress made in the campaign against Al-Qaeda, but also recognised that the efforts of Al-Qaeda cadres and associates to regroup in other countries and to form coalitions within other groups continue to pose a serious threat.

The two sides agreed to further intensify intelligence sharing and coordinate action in pursuit of the remains of Al-Qaeda members and associated terrorist groups. The delegations also discussed the nexus between weapons of mass destruction, proliferation and terrorism. The delegations reviewed their cooperation in the areas of anti-terrorism assistance and capacity building programmes conducted by the United States, border monitoring, military-to-military cooperation, law enforcement exchanges and legal assistance.