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U.S. welcomes Natwar Singh, Kasuri meeting

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JUNE 22. The United States has welcomed the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan saying this was an opportunity for further progress in "comprehensive engagement" as well as in taking concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons.

Asked to comment on the meeting in China between the External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, the State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, said: "We applaud the efforts that are being made by India and Pakistan to try to make progress in their bilateral dialogue. We have supported that dialogue in our contacts with the new Government in India as well as our continuing contacts with the Government in Pakistan. This is the latest... in a series of discussions they've had. We are glad to see these are going forward... and we really appreciate the efforts on both sides to reduce tensions."

"We do think this is an opportunity for them to make further progress in comprehensive engagement while at the same time agreeing on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons. So we do think there are opportunities here and we're glad to see the parties are pursuing them," he added.

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