Counter-terrorism to top Indo-US Security dialogue agenda

NEW DELHI: Threats from terror groups like LeT and al-Qaeda, illicit financing and transnational crimes will be top on the agenda of the four-day India-US Homeland Security dialogue between Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and his American counterpart beginning in Washington tomorrow.


Shinde, who left early this morning for the US, will hold talks with US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on challenges like cyber security, counterfeit currency, illicit financing and cooperation between the two nations to tackle the crimes at the plenary session of the dialogue.

The Home Minister is leading a delegation comprising over a dozen senior officials, including Home Secretary R K Singh, official sources said.

During the stay, Shinde will also visit the ground zero in Boston where a bomb attack took place during a marathon recently killing three persons.

Both the sides are expected to take stock of the existing mechanisms such as the Joint Working Group on Counter- terrorism and the Counter-terrorism Cooperation Initiative in advancing Indo-US cooperation.

Shinde and Napolitano will also discuss how to further strengthen agency-to-agency engagement, including in the areas of intelligence exchange, information sharing, forensics and investigation, access and sharing of data relating to terrorism, security of infrastructure and transportation and trade.

The two leaders are expected to share ideas and experiences on the ongoing transformation of their countries' security-related organisational structures and systems as well as regulatory framework in a democratic and federal environment, the sources said.

The Home Minister will also have meetings with FBI Director Robert Mueller and US Attorney General Eric Holder.