The Hindu : Armitage coming this month-end

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 07, 2002

International

International

Armitage coming this month-end

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Ottawa AUG. 6 . The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, will be visiting India and Pakistan towards the end of this month as part of a larger trip to the Asia Pacific that will take him to Sri Lanka, China and Japan, the State Department has announced. Mr. Armitage will be in New Delhi on August 23 and in Islamabad the following day where "he will build upon his June visits to those cities and review the steps India and Pakistan have taken since that time to further de-escalate tensions,'' State Department's deputy spokesperson, Philip Reeker, said.

Mr. Armitage's visit is a follow up of the Secretary of State, Colin Powell's trip to South Asia to discuss initiatives to expand bilateral relations with the South Asian nations, Mr. Reeker said.

The deputy spokesperson rejected the notion that Mr. Armitage is heading for the subcontinent because Gen. Powell's mission was a failure. "No, not at all. It is very clear our engagement is with both countries... and we are trying to do here in terms of our bilateral relations with each country, but also in continuing to see that both sides live up to the commitments they have made and see a continuing defusion of the tensions there,'' Mr. Reeker said. In fact, at the time of announcing the Secretary of State's visit to India and Pakistan it was said that Mr. Armitage would be visiting the two countries this month. Mr. Armitage's first stop will be in Colombo; and after his stops in New Delhi and Islamabad he will be in Beijing between August 25 and 27 followed by another two days in Tokyo.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International