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Kashmir is not just India's internal affair, says US envoy Celeste

While maintaining that the United States wants India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through bilateral talks, US Ambassador to India Richard F Celeste said he does not believe the issue is India's internal affair.

Kashmir has importance both internally and globally, Celeste told the media in Pune after inaugurating a foreign commercial office of the US today.

Celeste said the US was worried about the tension along the Line of Control when both India and Pakistan conducted their nuclear tests in May.

Soon after the tests, the US had pressed both governments to begin direct talks to address several differences on the Kashmir issue, he said.

Celeste appreciated the meeting between prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharief in New York last month which has paved the way for resumption of secretary-level talks. He hoped the dialogue would achieve results.

Asked if it was not a paradox that while economic sanctions on India continue, the US is opening commercial offices in the country, Celeste replied, "Yes, it is a paradox."

He said the sanctions were inevitable under US laws. They are not intended as punishment, but only to discourage the countries from moving on to nuclear weaponisation, he explained. But "our [long-term] goal is to build strong relations with India and encourage healthy business and economic partnerships".

"We are opening another commercial office in Hyderabad soon," he added.

To a question on the large number of nuclear warheads possessed by the US, Celeste said, "We understand that it is important not to just preach but practise.'' He observed that the US is reducing its nuclear arsenal, and cited START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) I and II with the erstwhile Soviet Union as proof of American intentions.

"We have reduced our nuclear warheads from 20,000 to 10,000," he said. "We are literally destroying nuclear weapons every day."

He added that the US is going ahead with talks with Russia to further reduce the number of warheads.

Asked to comment on American relations with China and Pakistan vis-a-vis India, the ambassador said the US had "friendly relations" with both countries and "we can exert influence on them".

UNI

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