Rice urges Pakistani cooperation in probe

NEW DELHI, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Pakistan must take responsibility for terrorists inside its borders accused by India of the attacks on Mumbai, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

In a joint news conference with India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi Wednesday, Rice said, "The response of the Pakistani government should be one of cooperation and that is what we expect, and we have been sending that message."

Any response should be to "make certain that the investigation gets to the bottom of what happened, that the perpetrators are brought to justice," Rice said.

Mukherjee said there was "no doubt" that the bloody terrorist attack on India's financial and entertainment hub "was perpetrated by individuals who came from Pakistan and whose controllers are in Pakistan."

He said he briefed Rice about his discussions with Pakistan following last week's attack in which 170 people were killed.

Rice pledged that the United States would work closely with Pakistan "in any way that we can" in the investigation.

In matters of terrorism, Rice said "it is not just a matter of the punishment ... (but) also a matter of preventing these terrorists who continue to plot and plan" crimes and attacks in the future.

Rice said it was premature to comment on whether any particular organization was responsible for the attacks. Since it struck high-profile targets, including those frequented by foreigners, the assault appeared to be designed to "send a message," she said.