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India, Pak willing for US role
on Kashmir, says Powell

Revealing that both India and Pakistan "are willing to have the US play a role" in promoting a dialogue on Kashmir, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Washington would not try to "insert" itself in view of long history of failures in attempting to do that but would be helpful.

"Both sides are willing to have the US to play a role" in creating an atmosphere for resumption of dialogue between the two countries, Powell said in an interview given to Far Eastern Economic Review on July 29, a day after visiting India and Pakistan.

"It is important, though, for the US not to try to insert itself as negotiator or the intermediary or broker. There is a long history of failure trying to do that," he said.

However, he said: "I think we can play a role because both sides look to us as a superpower friend who can play a role in creating conditions where a dialogue between the two sides can take place."

On Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's claim that all cross-border infiltration has stopped, he said: "Our best information as of today (July 29) let's say, is that there has been a reduction in cross-border infiltration, but I cannot say with any confidence at this point that it has all been stopped."

In reply to a question, Powell said the conflict over Kashmir has gone on for 55 years now and ultimately it will have to be resolved by the two parties dealing with each other directly.

"I think the United States will play a very helpful role in creating conditions where the two sides will talk to one another in a serious way about Kashmir. The reason we should be able to play that role is that in recent years, especially in the last 19 months since the Bush administration came in, then building on what had been done by the Clinton administration, we have developed a strong bilateral relationship with both India and Pakistan.

"We don't always deal with one because we have problems with the other. I think we have persuaded them that it is a zero sum game. Because we do something for Pakistan does not mean that we take something away from India and vice versa. And because we enjoy the strong partnership and relationship with both Pakistan and India, then I think we can be helpful in ultimately getting a dialogue going between the two sides on Kashmir. "

Stressing that Indo-Pak tension had scaled down recently, the secretary of state said: "Our focus, of course, in recent months has been to make sure that no war breaks out across the international border because of the infiltrations that are taking place across the Line of Control. And I think we have been reasonably successful in doing that; even though there is still tension, we don't seem to be on the edge of war, as we were a month or two ago."

PTI

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