January 22, 2002	Tuesday	Ziqa’ad 7, 1422

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NEW DELHI, Jan 21: Senior United States security officials were expected on Monday to share expertise in border management with their Indian counterparts as a meeting on counter-terrorism got underway, officials and experts said.

“This is a significant expansion of Indo-US cooperation on counter-terrorism. They are addressing a core Indian security issue,” said C. Raja Mohan, strategic affairs editor at the Hindu newspaper.

“They are talking of sensors to check infiltration, something like an electronic fencing.”

India, which accuses Pakistan of pushing militants into the disputed region of Kashmir, seeks high-tech devices to check such infiltration in the mountainous region.

An Indian home ministry official said border management was one of the subjects up for discussion at the meeting of the India-United States Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism formed two years ago.

Indian national security adviser Brajesh Mishra and Francis Taylor, the US State Department’s coordinator for counter-terrorism, led their respective sides at the two-day meeting.

Washington and New Delhi were also expected to focus on intelligence sharing, cyber terrorism and ways to crackdown on funding of terrorist groups.

The two sides last week moved to resume arms sales after a pact to protect technology secrets involved in any weapons sales.

Military exercises and joint training of special forces are also expected to be launched this year.—Reuters