New Delhi, September 12 :

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today put terrorism at the top of the agenda for his talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Cuba later this week.

“Terrorism today constitutes a threat for both countries,” Singh told the Press Trust of India news agency aboard his flight to Havana via Brazil.

“It is incumbent on us to work together in a manner that inspires confidence that both of us are very serious about tackling the menace of terrorism,” Singh said. He underlined that repeated attacks in India threatened his efforts to improve ties with Pakistan.

“I can’t carry the Indian public opinion with me if terrorist acts continue to plague our society.

“Whatever be the cause of (terrorist acts), that puts a damper on India-Pakistan relations. Whether in Mumbai or elsewhere, if these events take place, that certainly impairs the atmosphere,” Singh added.

Singh is due to meet Musharraf on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) conference in the Cuban capital this week.

On Friday, Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran told reporters that the future of the peace talks with Pakistan — launched in January 2004 — hinged on the outcome of Singh’s meeting with Musharraf in Cuba.

India abruptly called off official talks scheduled in New Delhi after a series of bomb attacks in the country’s financial capital Mumbai killed 183 people on July 11. Singh pointed a finger at Pakistan for the attacks that also injured about 800.

The premier said he would remind Musharraf of his promise to rein in Islamic militant groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.