The White House urged India to avoid worsening regional frictions as it considers a response to last week's suicide attack on the country's Parliament.
India has accused neighboring Pakistan -- a key US ally in its anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan -- of waging ''terrorism'' against India and trying to wipe out its political leadership in the attack.
''India has a legitimate right of self defence, and the President believes that if that is carried out by India it needs to be done in a manner that is reflective of the complications in the region, and does not add to those complications,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.
His remarks reflect a fine line the United States must walk between upholding Bush's vow of a global war against terrorism and inflaming tensions between India and Pakistan. Pakistan has denied involvement in terrorism or last week's attack, in which the five attackers and nine others died. Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani accused Pakistan of waging a systematic campaign of terrorism against India, although he stopped well short of announcing retaliation against Pakistan.
Bureau Report