Rice optimistic on improvement of ties between India, Pakistan
Pakistan Times Monitoring Desk

WASHINGTON (US): The United States has hoped relations between Pakistan and India would continue to improve. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this in an interview with India's Doordarshan Television.

The Secretary of State said: "we welcome very much the work that Prime Minister Singh has been doing to improve relations with Pakistan and we hope that the relationship between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Singh will continue to improve."

Asked what concrete steps the U.S. visualized as a direct consequence of the London blast, in the context of Indo-U.S. cooperation in the global fight against terrorists, she said "what happened in London is just an unfortunate and tragic reminder that we still have a lot of work to do in the war on terrorism and the war against extremism."

India, as a democracy that is multiethnic and that has suffered terrorism itself, Ms Rice said, was a very good partner in the war on terrorism.

'Excellent Cooperation'

"We have excellent cooperation in intelligence, we have excellent cooperation on the law enforcement side. I would expect that we will see even greater cooperation."

"We are concerned that terrorism be devalued as a method of resolving grievances, and that is why the work that is being done to deal with underlying political situations is extremely important, too."

As to what issues would be taken up during Indian Prime Minister's U.S. visit, Secretary Rice said "We have made a lot of progress in U.S.-Indian relations over the last few years." "This is turning into a very important relationship for both countries."

UN Reforms

On expansion of UN reforms, Secretary Rice said the United States "favors the expansion of the Security Council and, in fact, we have said that we can support the establishment of two or so permanent seats. We don't believe that a veto is necessary for those. But we understand that the Security Council needs to look like 2005, not 1945."

"We have also talked about criteria by which the Security Council might be expanded: countries that can play a global role, countries that are accountable to their populations through democratic governments. And we look to be supportive of expansion."

"We have long supported the candidacy of Japan. That goes back several administrations. And India, along with others in the Group of Four, are our friends. And it is not that we oppose anyone's candidacy.

It is that we believe very strongly that the larger issues of UN reform also have to be addressed, and if we have UN Security Council reform out of phase with the larger UN reforms, then we will not do justice to the organization."

"But I have said and the President will reiterate that India's role in international politics, which is growing and growing in a more positive way, will have to be accommodated in the international institutions. And that, of course, includes the UN," she added.●