This article was first published 23 years ago

No plebiscite in Kashmir: US

March 22, 2003 23:59 IST

The United States on Saturday rejected the demand for a plebiscite in Kashmir.

"On the issue of plebiscite, the fact of the matter is that Pakistan and India have agreed that this needs to be resolved bilaterally and we want to help them resolve it bilaterally," US

Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca said in her testimony before the International Relations Committee on Asia and the Pacific.

She said, "We are absolutely focused on peace between India and Pakistan and it is an absolute priority. And the international community is in agreement on this because we cannot go back to where we were last summer [when Indian and Pakistani forces were deployed on the border].

"That was a truly dangerous situation for the world, not just for the region."