NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Rocca is due to visit Pakistan and India next week to try and solve the standoff between the two nations.
Rocca, in an interview to Pakistani daily The Nation, also said that the Bush administration wanted all the political parties in the country to participate in the elections so that real democracy could be restored.
This was by far the strongest statement by a top US official about the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. The Bush administration had come under heavy criticism for not taking a firm stand against the referendum held by President Pervez Musharraf.
On the criticism over the credibility of the referendum, Rocca said the US administration still considered it as Pakistan's internal matter. However, "as far as the general elections are concerned, America is taking a lot of interest".
On a media report expressing doubts over Musharraf's hold over the Inter-Services Intelligence, she said the intelligence agency was part of the Pakistan army and the president, as the chief of army staff, controlled it.
She said Musharraf took a bold decision to join the war against terrorism, which produced encouraging results for Pakistan and regional peace.
Rocca also confirmed the joint operations being conducted by US and Pakistani agencies to trace out the Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who fled to Pakistan from Afghanistan.
PTI
Tell us what you think of this report
