International

China rules out taking sides

BEIJING MAY 29. China today ruled out taking sides in the current Indo-Pak stand off and said it was using its influence to peacefully resolve the crisis.

The Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, assured a United States Congressional delegation that China was friends with both Pakistan and India and that it did not want to take a role on one side or the other, and was using its influence to basically make contacts.

Quoting Mr. Jiang as telling him during a meeting here today, the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Military Procurement Subcommittee, Curt Weldon, said: ``He told us about some trips and meetings that have taken place to provide a sense of urgency to both sides that the question of Kashmir and the concerns of disagreements must be resolved peacefully.''

Talking to presspersons, Mr. Weldon said Mr. Jiang had briefed the 13-member Congressional team about the steps being taken by China to ease Indo-Pak tensions.

``It's an extreme concern of ours. We raise it at every stop on our way about India and Pakistan. All of us are friends with both India and Pakistan'', he said.

``We are extremely concerned and distressed that the situation has reached this point,'' he said adding that he had discussed the issue during their stay in Russia and Uzbekistan.

``We, like the Presidents of the bulk of the countries of the world, basically implore and beg the leaders and peoples of those two countries to step back and continue dialogue and discussions as opposed to what would be an absolutely horrendous and an armed hostile conflict that could escalate to a nuclear confrontation,'' Mr. Weldon said. — PTI

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