US, India united against terror: Obama
The United States and India "stand united" against terror, President Barack Obama said on Saturday, launching an Asian tour with an emotional tribute to victims and survivors of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
Obama, whose four-nation regional trip is designed to drum up jobs for America, hailed the "resilience" of the Indian people in the face of the assault on the country's financial capital that left 166 dead.
"The United States stands in solidarity with all of Mumbai and all of India in working to eradicate the scourge of terrorism," Obama wrote in the condolence book at a memorial to the victims in the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.
"We visit here to send a very clear message that in our determination to give our people a future of security and prosperity, the United States and India stand united," Obama said after meeting survivors.
"We will never forget the awful images... The flames from this hotel that lit up the night sky. We'll never forget how the world, including the American people, watched and grieved with all of India," said a sombre Obama.
The assault by 10 Islamist militant gunmen targeted luxury hotels, Mumbai's main railway station, a Jewish centre and popular restaurant.
The president said the "terrorists" offered only death and destruction and could not trump the diversity, tolerance and resilience of nations like India and America.
"We shall never allow that torch of freedom to be blown out, however high the wind or stormy the tempest," Obama said, quoting India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Treading a fine diplomatic line, Obama did not mention that extremists blamed for the attacks, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, were based in Pakistan, India's arch-rival and America's anti-terror ally.
The omission was swiftly criticised by India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party as a "missed opportunity."
The only surviving gunman from the assault said they were recruited, trained and equipped by the LeT, with support from elements in Pakistan's military and intelligence service.
On the eve of Obama's departure for India, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the LeT and another group, Jaish-e Mohammed, a key planner of the attacks.
Obama and his wife, First Lady Michelle, flew into Mumbai on Air Force One at the start of a trip that will also take the president to Indonesia, South Korea for the G20 summit and Japan for the APEC summit.
The journey, just days after Obama's Democrats took a drubbing in mid-term elections focusing on the economy, is designed to pry open new markets for US exports and create new jobs at home.
Security was extremely tight in Mumbai, with roads closed, a ban enforced on sea traffic and the plaza near the Taj sealed off.
US officials now say that cooperation with India on counter-terrorism is at its highest-ever level, despite India's misgivings about US support for Pakistan.
After the Taj, Obama toured the Mumbai house of Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi, who he has cited as a key personal influence.
"He is a hero not just to India, but to the world," he wrote in the visitor's book.
Later Saturday, a senior US official said Obama would announce major reforms in controls on high technology exports, relaxing regimes introduced after India's 1998 nuclear test and making it easier for US firms to match foreign competitors.
Obama will also highlight, in a speech to US and Indian businessmen, a sheaf of deals in India worth 14 billion dollars involving US blue chip firms like Boeing and GE, which officials said will support 54,000 American jobs.
Bilateral relations have warmed considerably in the past 10 years, but there are niggling disagreements over issues like the high-tech exports and US visa fees.
"The key to the visit from India Inc's point of view is technology, technology, technology," said Amit Mitra, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
"The key from the president's point of view is jobs, jobs, jobs - and the two must meet together during Obama's visit," Mitra said.
Obama moves on to New Delhi on Sunday, where he will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and deliver an address to parliament.