India's Prime Minister Vajpayee
Letter to President George W. Bush
on attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
September 11, 2001
New Delhi
Dear Mr. President,
I am shocked and appalled by terrorist attacks in New York and Washington today and deeply saddened by this enormous tragedy. The People of India and my Government share the sense of outrage with the American people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of the United States and with the bereaved families. We condemn this heinous crime in the strongest terms.
This dark hour is a stark and terrible reminder of the power and the reach of the terrorists to destroy innocent lives and challenge the civilised order in this world. It sends a strong message to democracies to redouble our efforts to defeat this great threat to our people, our values and our way of life.
Mr. President, I am confident that you and the American people will find the strength and resilience to overcome this tragedy. We stand ready to cooperate with you in the investigations into this crime and to strengthen our partnership in leading international efforts to ensure that terrorism never succeeds again.
