By Ravi Velloor, South Asia Bureau Chief

NEW DELHI: The US Secretary of State and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff flew into New Delhi and Islamabad, respectively, scrambling to defuse tensions caused by last week's terror attacks on Mumbai which India has blamed on 'elements based in Pakistan'.

'This is the time for everybody to cooperate and to do so transparently, and this is especially a time for Pakistan to do so,' Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a press conference here yesterday.

'We will work closely with India in any way we can to get to the bottom of this and to act upon' the information gathered, she added, noting that American lives were also lost in the attacks.

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