US has not denied us any 26/11 information, says Rao

NEW DELHI - Ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit, India Thursday rejected reports that the government was speaking in different voices over 26/11 intelligence sharing by the US, and asserted that there has been unprecedented bilateral counter-terror cooperation.

“I don’t think the government is speaking in different voices. The bottomline is that there has been unprecedented cooperation, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told reporters here.

We have not been denied any information, she added.

She was responding to a question on whether there were differences within the government over the nature of information sharing by the US over Pakistan-American David Headley’s link to the Lashkar plan to target Mumbai.

Two days ago, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon had stressed that the access given by the US to Headley was “unprecedented”. His remarks came days after Home Secretary G.K. Pillai voiced disappointment over the US not sharing specific information on Headley, that could have helped New Delhi avert the Nov 26, 2008, Mumbai mayhem and carnage.

Rao Thursday added that strengthening counter-terror cooperation and major terrorist groups’ activities in the region will figure in discussions between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Obama Monday. Obama begins his four-day visit to India from Mumbai Saturday afternoon.