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Summary
Pakistani-Indian relations would be one of the subjects at next weeks strategic dialogue between the US and India, a senior US diplomat said while renewing Washingtons readiness to help the two South Asian neighbours improve their bilateral relations. We always have an interest in seeing our two friends have peaceful relations, but we are not pressurizing either side, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert O Blake said when asked if the US is pressuring India to move forward in relations with Pakistan. At the same time, the official while briefing journalists at the State Department on the US-India Strategic Dialogue being held in Washington from June 1 to 4, said the US is ready to help the two countries on the path to better relations. We have consistently said that it is up to India and Pakistan to determine how to improve their relations and that the pace and the scope and the character of whatever talks they have is really up to those two countries to decide. But we will always stand ready to help in any way that we can, because again, we see it very much in our interest to see improved ties between these two friends of ours.In the discussions, the US official said, America will applaud the decision by Islamabad and New Delhi on upcoming meetings between their foreign and interior ministers in the Pakistani capital. So those are very important opportunities to try to expand relations and to reduce some of the frictions between these two friends of the US. He said the US would like the two countries to develop their ties as they did a few years but argued that Pakistan should first stop militants belonging to banned outfits from carrying out activities against India. To a question on Kashmir, the diplomat felt that the dispute is not going to be an issue that is going to be addressed right away. I think, again, that whats most important is first to get these talks going again.
