US wants resumption of Indo-Pak talks: Clinton to Cong panel

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Feb 25 (PTI) As the foreign secretaries of
India and Pakistan are scheduled to meet in New Delhi on
Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the
Obama Administration is favour of resumption of direct talks
between the two neighbours.
"With respect to India and Pakistan, we have
encouraged the resumption of the direct talks which were
suspended when President Pervez Musharraf left office,"
Clinton told a Congressional panel on Wenesday.
In reply to a question from Senator Greg on Indo-Pak
relations, she said "...talks between President Musharraf and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had actually been quite
productive particularly in producing results on the ground in
Kashmir. But they have been in abeyance now for... slightly
more than two years."
Clinton said that the countries were going to hold
talks, and the US was sensitive to the concerns that the both
countries have and address to their issues.
"We continue to raise it and make the case to each
separately as to why it is in their mutual interest to
proceed," she said.
Referring to good relationship between India and the
US, the Secretary of State said "with India, we have had a
very successful start to this Administration building on,
frankly, the success and the investment of the prior two
administrations in working with India, creating more
opportunities for investment, more relationship building
between our two governments."
"So I think that in these two areas, which are two of
the most significant areas for America's long term security,
we are working very hard and you know trying to make even very
small but significant progress in any way we can," Clinton
said. PTI LKJ