WASHINGTON: The US will continue to encourage Pakistan and India to engage in a dialogue towards the resolution of outstanding disputes, said Tom Donilon, the new American national security adviser, on Saturday.
“I don’t want to get into what exactly the president is going to talk about in his private conversation with Prime Minister Singh,” Donilon told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Germany. He was asked if the US president was going to talk about Kashmir at all on the trip.
“We have, as a longstanding policy, encouraged India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue on a range of issues, and we continue to do that,” Donilon added.
Asked if the US assistance supporting Pakistan’s fight against terrorism still worried India, he said, “The US and India share an interest in seeing a stable and peaceful South Asia, and extremist elements in South Asia disrupted and defeated. And this is part of our overall project in the region, and the Indians have been supportive of that.”
Meanwhile, a US State Department official reiterated that the US’ relationships with Pakistan and India is not a zero-sum equation. app
“I don’t want to get into what exactly the president is going to talk about in his private conversation with Prime Minister Singh,” Donilon told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Germany. He was asked if the US president was going to talk about Kashmir at all on the trip.
“We have, as a longstanding policy, encouraged India and Pakistan to engage in dialogue on a range of issues, and we continue to do that,” Donilon added.
Asked if the US assistance supporting Pakistan’s fight against terrorism still worried India, he said, “The US and India share an interest in seeing a stable and peaceful South Asia, and extremist elements in South Asia disrupted and defeated. And this is part of our overall project in the region, and the Indians have been supportive of that.”
Meanwhile, a US State Department official reiterated that the US’ relationships with Pakistan and India is not a zero-sum equation. app