Clinton hopeful of resumption of Indo Pak peace dialogue

Lalit K Jha

Washington, May 21 (PTI) US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton Thursday expressed hope that dialogue between India
and Pakistan would soon be resumed, a step that, she said,
could result in reduction in tension between the two
nuclear-armed neighbours.

"Over the medium term, we hope to see a reduction of
tension between Pakistan and India," Clinton said in her
appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on
the US Foreign Policy priorities for the year 2010.

She was responding to the concerns expressed by Senator
Chris Dodd about the possibility of US aid to Pakistan being
used by Islamabad to build up its nuclear stock pile as
reported in US media in the past two days. The Secretary of
State, however, asserted that is unlikely to happen.

"With respect to the Pakistani nuclear stockpile, we are
very clear, very firm and quite convinced that none of our aid
will in any way affect the efforts by Pakistan regarding their
nuclear stockpile," she said.

"But the hope is that there can be a resumption of
discussions between the two countries that will perhaps give a
little more confidence to each. We are absolutely committed
not to seeing any diversion of our money or any use of it that
would be other than what it's intended for," she said.

Earlier at another Congressional hearing, Clinton said
that India and Pakistan need to take steps to build the
confidence among them so that there is a reduced need of a
nuclear deterrence.

"We believe that India and Pakistan can take more
steps to build confidence between the two of them that will
lessen the need for a nuclear deterrent in the eyes of the
Pakistanis or the Indians," Clinton said testifying before
the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on State and
Foreign Affairs.

Responding to similar concerns raised by Senators at
this committee, Clinton denied media reports that the aid
money being sent to Pakistan could be diverted for expanding
its nuclear arsenal.

"I think that there is no basis for believing that any
of the money that we are providing will be diverted into the
nuclear programme," she argued.

"We are assured by the Pakistani military and the
government that they have control over their nuclear weapons
at this time, and we have offered and continued to work with
them in any way that they deem appropriate to help them assure
the safety and security of those weapons," she said.

"I do not see that as an immediate threat, but it is
certainly one that we take very seriously," Clinton said. PTI