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India Washington's natural ally: Powell

Describing New Delhi as a 'natural ally' of the US, Powell said in India, he found strong support (for the war against terrorism) from Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh 'who are anxious to do more'.

"They are very anxious to be part of the humanitarian (aid) going into Afghanistan," he told the senate foreign relations committee on Thursday.

Powell also talked of Washington's improved relationship with Pakistan that would 'grow and thrive' in the years ahead.

"Our improved relationship (with Islamabad) is not just a temporary spike but as a result of the actions taken by Pakistan over the previous five weeks, the beginning of a strengthened relationship that will grow and thrive in the years ahead," he said.

Powell said America's relations with India and Pakistan are not a 'zero sum game where if one benefits, the other loses'.

"We can have solid relations with both. We want both relations to go forward in a positive manner and, hopefully, create conditions for a dialogue between the two sides on the issue of Kashmir," he said.

During testimony, Powell did not specifically refer to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's characterisation of militancy in Kashmir as 'freedom struggle' or India's demand that for any dialogue to be useful, Islamabad must end its cross-border terrorism in Kashmir.

However, in an answer to a question by Senator Richard Lugar about his definition of terrorism, Powell said "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

It is easy, he said, to identify Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden, who represents no country and no religion and is an invader in Afghanistan, as a terrorist or to label as terrorists some of the groups in Colombia.

"Then you enter into areas where one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. That is where you have a judgment to apply."

Powell suggested in deciding which movement is terrorist, one must 'continue to make distinctions between that which is a legitimate movement towards freedom against an oppressor and that which simply does not meet that standard'.

PTI

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