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US backs Celeste's views on Kashmir

C K Arora in Washington

The Clinton administration has defended US Ambassador to India Richard F Celeste's statement on Kashmir, which has reportedly provoked some controversy in the Indian media, saying it was consistent with its policy.

In reply to a question, State Department spokesman James Foley yesterday said he was not sure precisely what the criticism was in the Indian media. The ambassador was responding to a question about Kashmir.

''Let me first state what our policy is -- our view of Kashmir, and this is not new, this is long-standing,'' he said. ''The United States has long held the position that all of the pre-independent state of Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory. The United States believes that an ultimate resolution must be achieved through negotiations between India and Pakistan, taking into account the interests and desires of the people of Kashmir.''

''He indicated that we press both governments to undertake direct talks to address very severe differences between the two countries about Kashmir,' he said. ''He repeated what I said is our long-standing position, that those differences can only be resolved through bilateral discussions at the highest level between the two countries.''

Asked about Celeste's view that Kashmir is not an internal issue of India, Foley said, ''He (Celeste) said that the Government of India had indicated it had issue with respect to Kashmir that it must take up with Pakistan. In that context, one can't view it as a purely internal matter and again, our position is that it's a disputed territory that has to be addressed and resolved peacefully between the two countries,'' he added.

UNI

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