Hanoi - The president of India, who is on a four-day state
visit to Vietnam, on Thursday condemned the terrorist attacks on
Mumbai that left 101 people dead and paralyzed much of India's
largest city.
'This mindless attack is the work of those who have no regard for
human lives and are pursuing a path of destruction,' President
Pratibha Devisingh Patil said at a press conference in Hanoi.
'My heartfelt condolences to those who have been affected by this
act of terror,' she said. 'Hostages are being held, and I am informed
that the authorities are dealing with the situation. I hope that this
suffering comes to an end quickly and the perpetrators brought to
book.'
The embassy of India said Thursday that the president would
continue on to Indonesia as planned.
'She will stay here as scheduled until tomorrow morning,' PK
Mathur, the first secretary at the Indian embassy in Hanoi, said
Thursday. 'Then she will visit Indonesia after that.'
According to Patil's official schedule, released by Vietnam's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week, the Indian leader would meet
with the secretary general of the Communist Party and would lay a
wreath at a war memorial before departing for Jakarta Friday.
Le Dung, spokesman for Vietnam's Foreign Affairs Ministry,
confirmed Thursday that the Indian president's schedule would remain
unchanged.
Her 10-day visit to Vietnam and Indonesia is part of Patil's 'Look
East' policy.
Earlier this week, Patil met with members of India's business
community in Vietnam's commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.
Trade between the two countries has surged in recent years. In
2007, two-way trade between India and Vietnam surpassed 1.5 billion
dollars.
Patil's visit was the second by an Indian president to Vietnam
since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972.
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