US underlines India's key role for success of Af-Pak policy

New Delhi

As it begins implementation of its new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US on Wednesday underlined the critical role of India in the success of the policy as there was a "common threat".

US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke, who held talks with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, underlined that he was not visiting the region to "negotiate" between India and Pakistan.

"The answer is no," Holbrooke said at a press conference here when asked whether he had asked his Indian interlocutors to resume talks with Pakistan.

"Let me just be clear on my one word answer. We did not come here to ask the Indians to do anything. We came here to inform about our trips (to Afghanistan and Pakistan) as we always do and to get their views. We did not come here with any requests," said Holbrooke, while addressing the press along with US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen.

Holbrooke and Mullen emphasised that their visit here was in connection with the new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, which the US has just started to implement.

"We cannot settle issues like Afghanistan and many other issues without India's full involvement and its own expression of views," said Holbrooke while pointing out that he had come to "listen" to Indian views and that his discussions with Indian officials were "terrific".

Contending that "priorities" of both India and the US in Afghanistan are the same, the Special Envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan said "coordination", however, was missing and that his visit here along with Mullen was aimed at accelerating that.

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