News
Friday, October 22, 2010
US won’t mediate between Pakistan and India over Kashmir dispute* Holbrook says US won’t play any direct role to resolve decades-old issue
* US wants details of Pak-China nuclear pact to see if it conforms to international laws
LAHORE: US Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke said on Thursday that the US would not play a direct role in resolving the Kashmir issue, a private TV channel reported on Thursday.
The US envoy said Pakistan and India should find a negotiable solution to the dispute. The US could mediate only if both countries agree to it, he said.
He said the US did not want to interfere in Pakistan’s political affairs, adding that the US longs for consistency of the democratic process in the country, the channel said.
He said the US had urged Pakistan to provide details of the Pak-China nuclear pact to see if the pact was in accordance with the international laws. He said the US was not holding direct talks with the Taliban. He said that US President Barack Obama’s visit to Pakistan would be a great achievement for the country, the channel reported.
American and Pakistani friends have privately talked about Islamabad’s desire to have nuclear technology cooperation with the United States, he said as the two sides held strategic talks on wide-ranging issues in Washington.
“We are well aware of the Pakistani strategic goal and desire. It’s one of the many things we have talked about frankly in private with our friends in Pakistan,” he said.
The Obama administration’s special envoy for the region acknowledged in response to a question that Pakistan-India tensions affected the Afghan situation, where the US has had a high-stakes military and diplomatic engagement since September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York’s twin towers and Pentagon.
Hobrooke said he respects President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Nawaz Sharif.
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Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk