'US won't be intermediary in Indo-Pak talks'

The United States has once again rejected the notion regarding it playing a role of an 'intermediary' between India and Pakistan to help both nuclear powered countries to resolve long pending issues between them.

"We are not going to act as intermediaries between Islamabad and New Delhi. That is not what we are here to do," President Obama's Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said.

Holbrooke's statement came in response to a query over US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen recent statement that New Delhi and Islamabad should resume the back-channel diplomacy to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Holbrooke, however, said Washington would welcome such a move, The Dawn reports.

When asked to elaborate about how the US sees India's evolving role in Afghanistan, Holbrooke said he often visited New Delhi because of that country's great importance in the issues concerning the war tattered country.

Holbrooke said he was looking forward to meeting Indian officials at the Munich Security Conference starting Friday.