Rice to travel to India to show U.S. support

WASHINGTON (AP) — President George W. Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to India in the wake of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 200 people, including six Americans.

White House press secretary Dana Perino said that Rice was scheduled to leave Sunday night for London for a NATO meeting and then will travel to New Delhi on Wednesday.

Perino said that Rice’s visit to India is, in her words, “a further demonstration of the United States’ commitment to stand in solidarity with the people of India.”

Earlier Sunday, Bush assured India’s leader that the U.S. government will put its full weight behind the investigation into the attacks in Mumbai.

Bush told India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, in a telephone call that “out of this tragedy can come an opportunity to hold these extremists accountable and demonstrate the world’s shared commitment to combat terrorism,”

Also, a senator endorsed a campaign suggestion from Barack Obama — appointment of a special envoy, perhaps Bill Clinton, to the disputed region of Kashmir — as the U.S. seeks to ease tensions between India and its nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan.