American economic interests depend on stability in Asia: US general

The United States would like to see stability in Asia because its ''vital economic interests like markets and energy'' needed to be protected, General Joseph Ralston, the visiting vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff committee, said in Delhi.

In this context, India and Pakistan, General Ralston said, should resolve their differences through discussions. The US, he added, was ready to ''help'' in these efforts.

Interestingly, in contrast to the official US position which condemns India's missile programme, the general said India ''should do what it feels is in its interest.''

Reacting to a question at the end of his talk Future forces and capabilities, at the United Services Institute in Delhi, General Ralston said the US global vision for the next 15 years envisaged ''engaging'' various regions across the world in various activities, discussions and military exercises to avert crisis from erupting.

Going by intelligence reports, the four star general said the US did not see any rival to its superpower status for the next 15 years. ''We may, however, face regional threats,'' he added.

Over the past 13 years -- except during Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991 -- the US defence budget had declined. ''As far as I know there are no new missiles on the drawing boards since we are scaling down our missile capability,'' he said.

General Ralston called on the three service chiefs on Wednesday. He also met Defence Secretary Ajit Kumar on Thursday. The general, who is from the US air force, is the second highest-ranking officer in the American military.

Before arriving in Delhi for a three-day visit, the general paid a a two-day visit to Pakistan. He is the highest ranking US officer to visit India after General Maxwell Taylor, the then chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff committee, who visited this country in 1963 after the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict.

Defence experts see his visit as an attempt by the United States to rebuild its military relationship with both India and Pakistan simultaneously.

The Pentagon has said that General Ralston's visit is an important step in the continued US effort to expand the military-to-military relationship between New Delhi and Washington.

Defence experts say the ''interactions'' General Ralston has had in Delhi may be in the nature of enhancing the interaction envisaged during the visit of then US defence secretary William Perry to India in 1994.

The US view is that what was anticipated during Perry's visit had only been partially realised, the annual meetings between the two sides under the auspices of the joint technology group and the defence policy group notwithstanding.

General Ralston is a member of the Nuclear Weapons Council in the Pentagon, a member of the National Security Council deputies committee in the White House. He is also said to participate in decisions regarding defence acquisitions. He is also said to be a key player in the Pentagon's planning programme and budgeting system.

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