US Secretary of State Kerry expresses sympathy with victims of Hyderabad blasts

Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday made his maiden tweet to express sympathies with the people of Hyderabad, the venue of twin blasts that killed nearly a dozen people. "Saw friend/Foreign Secretary Mathai discussed importance of relationship w/ #India, expressed sympathies to brave people of #Hyderabad -JK," Kerry said in his first tweet in his capacity as the top American diplomat.

Kerry used the usual State Department twitter handle but signed it off with his initial JK (meaning John Kerry), which State Department officials said means was his "personal tweet". In his tweet, Kerry described the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary, Ranjan Mathai as his "friend".

In fact, he gave up the traditional protocol to meet the visiting Indian diplomat reflecting on the significance he attaches to the India-US relationship. However, the details of his meetings were not immediately available. Kerry in his tweet said that he discussed importance of relationship with India with Mathai.

India Foreign Secretary is on a 3-day US visit to hold talks with his American counterparts on bilateral issues.

Mathai is on a three-day US visit to hold talks with his American counterparts on bilateral and regional issues. Earlier, the US strongly condemned the terrorist bombings and offered assistance in investigation if requested by the Indian Government.

"We condemn the cowardly attack in Hyderabad, India, in the strongest possible terms, and we extend our deepest sympathies to those affected and to the people of India," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters at her daily news conference.

"As you know, Secretary Kerry will have a chance to see Indian Foreign Secretary Mathai later this afternoon, and he will convey our sympathies in person and affirm our support for India during this difficult time," she said.

The United States stands with India in combating the scourge of terrorism, and also prepared to offer any and all assistance that Indian authorities may need, Nuland said.

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