Military strategies not enough: India, US agree on Afghan

India and the US on Tuesday, agreed that military strategies alone are not enough to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan, as foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon met top officials of the Obama Administration and discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and regional issues.

Menon, who is on a four-day visit to the US, met National Security Adviser General James Jones and discussed the progress in the probe into Mumbai terror attacks, counter-terrorism cooperation and the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategic review by the US.

"On improving the situation in Afghanistan, they agreed that military strategies alone are not enough to bring stability to the region and that other issues such as economic development and rule of law are also vital to success," Mike Hammer, National Security Council spokesman, said after the meeting.

Obama Administration considers India as a key regional player in restoring lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The meeting between Menon and General Jones lasted for 45 minutes. This was the first time that Jones met a top Indian official.

"They (General Jones and Menon) also touched on counter-terrorism cooperation and the ongoing Mumbai investigation," Hammer said.

During the meeting, Menon and general Jones discussed a number of other issues of mutual interest and decided to work together on them.

"The two also expressed a mutual desire to work closely together on global priorities such as climate change and non-proliferation," Hammer said.

During the next two days, Menon is scheduled to meet officials of Department of Defence and some of the important Washington-based think tanks.