US pursuing 'strategic' partnerships with India, Pakistan

Washington, Dec 8 (PTI) The US is pursuing a strategic
partnership with India and Pakistan based on "mutual
interest", a top US official has underlined, amid fears that
America's diplomatic relationship could be adversely impacted
by disclosure of secret cables by Wikileaks.

"We are pursuing strategic partnerships with both
Pakistan and India and other countries. Those relationships
are based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and that has
not changed," said P J Crowley, the State Department
spokesman.
"So we would hope that there'll be no impact," Crowley
told reporters at his daily news conference in response to a
question whether the release of secret cables was having any
impact on diplomatic relations with India and Pakistan.
The US has underlined its determination to hold those
responsible for the "criminal leak" of secret American
documents by the whistleblower website.
Crowley told reporters that the US position has been
clear from the outset that the release of these documents puts
lives and interests at risk, not just American lives and
American interests, but the interests of others around the
world.
"We have specifically called on Mr. Assange to return
stolen property to the United States. He has declined to do
that. But beyond that, without talking about any particular
cable, there is information that fully deserves
confidentiality and classification," he said.
He said the release of a list of critical
infrastructure that is important to our society and our
economy and the economies of other countries is
"irresponsible".
Earlier, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has
also regretted the "deeply distressing" release of a secret
list of key infrastructure sites that could threaten US
security if hit by terror strikes. PTI LKJ