'U.S. did not initiate summit'

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JULY 19. The Bush administration has said neither India nor Pakistan has asked the United States for any help or guidance; and that Washington on its own has not initiated anything with either side.

``This was not a U.S.-initiated process; this was a process between the parties. This is what we have always said: that there needs to be a dialogue in which they can address these issues. These are issues that have been dividing the two countries for over 50 years, so we welcomed the dialogue,'' the State Department deputy spokesman, Mr. Philip Reeker, said on Wednesday.

He pointed out that the Agra summit ended a two-year freeze on contacts between the two South Asian countries and that the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, had agreed to visit Islamabad for further discussions, ``and we think that is also a positive step''.

Mr. Reeker was asked whether the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Henry Shelton, had any particular guidance from the State Department for his visit to India or if he had any conversations with the Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell.

``I am not aware of any specific conversation that he may or may not have had with the Secretary. They do meet on a fairly regular basis in a variety of settings,'' he said.

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Section  : International
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