US welcomes resumption of Indo-Pak talks

Betwa Sharma
New York, Feb 19 (PTI) Welcoming resumption of talks
between India and Pakistan, the US has urged both the nations
to work in the same spirit to help in bringing stability in
war-ravaged Afghanistan.
"Indeed, we are encouraged by news that India and
Pakistan are re-launching a dialogue aimed at building trust,
and we encourage them to work in that same spirit to support a
political process in Afghanistan," US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said at Asia Society here.
"We look to them – and all of Afghanistan's neighbours
– to respect Afghanistan's sovereignty, which means agreeing
not to play out their rivalries within its borders," she said.
Earlier this month, New Delhi and Islamabad had agreed
to resume talks on "all outstanding issues." The composite
dialogue between the two sides were put on hold after 10
Pakistani terrorist carried out coordinated attacks in Mumbai
in November 2008, killing 166 people.
Afghanistan is the new talking point included for
Indo-Pak discussions in the coming months.
So far, Pakistan has been wary of India's ties with
Afghanistan and continuously questions why New Delhi has so
many consulates in that nation. Several reports have suggested
that certain elements in Pakistan support the Taliban to ward
off India's influence in the country.
In an almost hour long-review of the US policy in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, Clinton emphasised the need for
regional stability to defeat al Qaeda and Taliban as well as
promote development in the war-torn country.
She also called on Afghanistan's neighbours to
"support reconciliation and efforts to ensure that al-Qaida
and the syndicate of terrorism is denied safe haven
everywhere. Afghanistan, in turn, must not allow its territory
to be used against others."
"That would reduce the terrorist and narcotics threat
to their own citizens, create new opportunities for commerce,
and ease the free flow of energy and resources throughout the
region. It could also help move other regional conflicts
toward peaceful resolution," she added.
Clinton said the region as a whole would benefit with
the end of the conflict in Afghanistan.
"Beyond Pakistan, all of Afghanistan's neighbours and
near-neighbours – India and Iran, Russia, China and the
Central Asian states – stand to benefit from a responsible
political settlement in Afghanistan and also an end to
al-Qaida's safe havens in the border areas and the exporting
of extremism into their countries," she said. PTI BS
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