WASHINGTON : United States Secretary of State John Kerry has asserted that Washington is maintaining close ties with India and Pakistan as they help in reducing tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
A transcript released yesterday said Mr Kerry indirectly confirmed media reports that the US had been quietly encouraging the two Prime Ministers (of Pakistan and India) to hold bilateral talks. We encourage that. I think it’s required to encourage both leaders to engage in the dialogue that they’ve engaged in. And needless to say, we don’t want to do things that upset the balance.
But we do believe that Pakistan is engaged legitimately in a very tough fight against identifiable terrorists in their country that threaten Pakistan, he argued.
During two recent congressional hearings, Mr Kerry argued that the US has been working really hard to advance a rapprochement between Islamabad and New Delhi, according to Dawn.
A Pakistani delegation, lead by Sartaj Aziz, reached the US yesterday for a strategic dialogue that seeks to enhance Pakistan’s relations with Washington.
The discussions on non-proliferation precede a nuclear summit Washington is hosting next month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif will be attending the summit. Secretary Kerry will lead the American team at the strategic dialogue, which will include officials from the National Security Council, the Defence Department and the US intelligence community.
(AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel