U.S. Declines to Criticize India for releasing Muslims over Highjacking

Monday, January 03, 2000 5:37 PM EST

WASHINGTON,January 3 (Xinhua)-- The United States Monday declined to criticize India's decision to release three Muslim prisoners for swapping freedom of 155 passengers who were held captive aboard an Indian Airlines flight.

"The United States cannot second-guess or judge how the Indian government handled the hijacking," the department said.

"This incident presented very difficult decisions for the Indian government. Obviously they weighed all the options after days of negotiations and rigorous domestic debate," it said.

The Indian Airlines flight was highjacked on Dec. 23 on its way from Nepal to New Delhi. The highjackers demanded the release of three Muslim prisoners, and the Indian government finally agreed to the request under the consideration of the lives of the 155 hostages. The highjacking ended Friday at the airport in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

In New Delhi Monday, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee urged the United States and other world powers to declare Pakistan a " terrorist state." He said India had enough evidence to prove Pakistani complicity in the highjacking.

Asked about Vajpayee's statement, the State Department said that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright "has not made such a determination with respect to Pakistan," the department said.

In Shepherdstown, W. Va., where Israeli and Syrian officials are attending peace talks, State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said Pakistan had told Washington that it would meet its obligations under the international convention to apprehend the highjackers and bring them to justice.

The hijackers left Kandahar in a vehicle and were accompanied by the three former prisoners. They had been given 10 hours by Afghan authorities to leave the country.