New York: Underlining the importance of stability in Afghanistan for regional security, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao Thursday said Washington "fully recognises" India's role in the war-torn country and reiterated that New Delhi will not be "scaling down" following the recent attacks targeting Indians.
"The United States fully recognizes that India has legitimate interests in Afghanistan. It appreciates the development work we do there," Rao said.
"It appreciates that we are force of stability and moderation in our region. We are not scaling down in Afghanistan," she added.
Rao is visiting New York after her meeting with top Obama Administration officials in Washington including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her counterpart, Bill Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs where they discussed a host of issues on Indo-US relations.
In Washington, Rao emphasised that India had a stake in Afghanistan's future amidst of growing speculations the New Delhi is being sidelined in the Washington's Af-Pak policy.
Rao also spoke out against the distinction of "good Taliban and bad Taliban" in light of recent developments that see Washington and the Karzai government planning on engaging with certain members of the Taliban to induct them in country's polity. .
Emphasising that India understood Afghan society due to centuries old civilisational ties, Rao noted that the international community should prepare for the long haul and not try to find quick solutions to the problem.
"There are certain forces that spread terror. The Taliban is part of the very negative presence," Rao said.
"India as well as the international community has to stay involved in Afghanistan in order to deal with this problem that has been created by these extremist groups in this country.
"It is very important to deal with these problems in a way hat Afghanistan becomes a stable and prosperous democracy.
It this that is the core of what we are saying and what we convey to our friends like the United States," she said.
The Foreign Secretary also addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, a prominent think tank, in a closed door session.
As her six-day US trip to winds down, Rao is slated to meet high ranking diplomats at the UN including Hamidon Ali, President of the UN Economic and Social Council and Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 13:52