‘Access to Headley soon’

The US said it is cooperating at the highest level to provide India access to 26/11 accused David Headley even as it maintained Pakistan has to do more to fight terror.

The US said it is cooperating at the highest level to provide India access to 26/11 accused David Headley even as it maintained Pakistan has to do more to fight terror.

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“We work together in historic ways on providing access to people like David Headley, the US is cooperating at the highest level to eventually provide access to this person who helped pull off the savagery of the attack on Mumbai on 26/11,” US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer told reporters after paying tribute to the 26/11 martyrs at Marine Drive.

“We have been providing indirect access, sharing intelligence for months, now the door is open. The opportunity is there for India in the weeks ahead to get direct access in the

appropriate way and appropriate time to David Headley,” Roemer said.

Acknowledging Pakistan’s contribution to fighting terror, he said Islamabad needs to do much more. “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s comments underscore that while Pakistan has done a lot, they need to do more,” he said.

To a query about India’s concerns over alleged diversion of US aid to Pakistan to fund terror activities directed against India, Roemer said: “We will ensure US aid to Pakistan is used in an appropriate manner.”

“President (Barack) Obama requested me that we show respect to the great people of India, to the 18 police officers who gave lives for their country,” Roemer said, explaining his visit to the 26/11 martyrs’ memorial outside the Police Gymkhana.

“When we sought access to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, we could not get it,” he said, apparently referring to the difficulty of getting access to those accused of involvement in international terror plots.