NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL DEAR REDIFF THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
TV Parasuram in Washington
US Defence Secretary Donald Rusmfeld on Wednesday said that Washington and Islamabad have "a long-lasting and strategic relationship that is mutually beneficial".
"The United States and Pakistan have a long-lasting relationship, that is a strategic relationship, that is mutually beneficial, and we look forward to strengthening it in a variety of different ways," Rumsfeld said after meeting Pakistan President Parvez Musharraf at the Pentagon.
Asked whether the US will assist Pakistan with weapons, Rumsfeld said: "These are the kind of questions for President (George Bush) and Secretary (of State Colin) Powell to respond."
"Let me just say this. Pakistan and India are sovereign states and they are important countries. Needless to say, the principal interest of the United States is in seeing that those two countries are able to talk and manage their affairs in a peaceful way," he said.
"Each of those countries has relationships with a number of countries and, indeed, purchases weapons from a number of other countries, and that is not surprising since each is a sovereign nation," Rumsfeld said.
"Our hope is that we will see a peaceful resolution to what clearly has been a very tense period in recent months," he added
Rumsfeld said that he and Musharraf discussed a number of ways to strengthen military-to-military ties between the two countries
"The defence consultation group has been re-established between Pakistan and the US, with Undersecretary Doug Faith as the US representative," Rumsfeld said.
"Our country and, indeed, the world have a big stake in your country and your part of the world. We wish you well," Rumsfeld told Musharraf.
"In our discussions today, we had some talks about the political (and) military situation in South Asia. We discussed what we in the United States call Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghan war), and certainly Pakistan's support for that has been important, it has been significant, and it is appreciated," Rumsfeld said.
Tell us what you think of this report
Call India
