WASHINGTON - The outgoing US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, Tuesday praised the efforts of President Asif Ali Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to improve communication, business, trade, commerce between the two South Asian countries.Those efforts, she said at an event here, would help create a more receptive environment for dealing with terrorist threats.She was replying to a question from an Indian television anchor Burkha Dutt at an online Global Town Hall meeting, in which journalists from around the world participated.The question that Ms Dutt, who was speaking from New Delhi, put to Secretary Clinton was whether she was satisfied with the success that US was able to achieve in bringing the perpetrators of 2008 Mumbai attack to justice, as also about the threat posed by terrorists in safe havens inside Pakistan."Well, I think it is unfinished business that we are not in any way walking away from," Clinton said in her response. "I’m leaving office, but I can assure you and the Indian people this remains one of our very highest priorities."Clinton added "We were successful in capturing and eliminating a number of the most dangerous terrorists who have safe haven inside Pakistan. We have continued to press the Pakistani government, because of course the terrorists inside Pakistan are first and foremost an ongoing threat to the stability of Pakistan, and they need to deal with it because of that, as well as the implications for India, Afghanistan, the United States, and elsewhere... "So of course, I’m not satisfied. As I told you in Kolkata, I believe going after terrorism is an obligation of every country, everywhere, every sensible person. We can have disagreements, but they cannot be in any way using violence or condoning the use of violence."The Indian journalist also asked why David Headley, an American of Pakistani origin who was sentenced last week to 35 years for helping plan the attack on Mumbai, was not being extradited to India.Clinton replied, "Well, that is not directly under my jurisdiction, but I will say this: There was intensive amount of investigation and interrogation of him by Indian authorities as well as American authorities. A lot of useful information was obtained, and I think that this sentence represents both the punishment that he richly deserves for his participation, but also a recognition of the role that he has played and is expected to continue to play in supporting Indian and American efforts to prevent the kind of horrific attack that occurred in Mumbai."In another development, the US Senate confirmed Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, to be the next secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton. The Senate action followed approval earlier in the day by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Kerry formerly led. The Senate voted 94-3 in favour of Kerry, who was his party's failed presidential nominee in 2004. Republicans James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas voted against the nomination.Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat, cited Kerry's extensive experience with foreign leaders in supporting the nomination. "I can think of no one better prepared to take on the challenges of this position," Menendez said. Senator Bob Corker, a Republican, said Kerry had been preparing for the job since his father was a diplomat."I'm honoured beyond words," Kerry said following the vote.Kerry, who has been in the Senate for three decades, told reporters after the vote he was ‘wistful’ about leaving the Senate. During his confirmation hearing last week, Kerry testified the United States must be smart about how it handles the world's hot spots."We cannot afford a diplomacy that is defined by troops or drones or confrontation. We have to find a diplomacy that achieves ... understanding, rapprochement, whatever you want to call it," he said.His approval never was in doubt, given that Republicans had urged President Barack Obama to nominate Kerry instead of UN Ambassador Susan Rice, who ran into opposition for voicing what turned out to be a false analysis of the events at a State Department mission in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, dead. The White House released a statement in which Obama said he was "pleased that the Senate has confirmed John Kerry as our next secretary of state with overwhelming bipartisan support.""John has earned the respect of leaders around the world and the confidence of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, and I am confident he will make an extraordinary secretary of state," Obama said. "I look forward to his counsel and partnership in the years ahead as we ensure American leadership in the world and advance the interests and values that keep our nation strong." Clinton's last day as secretary is Friday.