M A I N   N E W S

USA, G-8 caution Pak, India

Washington, December 28
As India and Pakistan moved into a reciprocal diplomatic offensive mode, the USA has suggested that both the countries consider carefully how to resolve the problem they are facing while it recognised their right to take diplomatic steps against each other.

“We expect that both are giving careful consideration to how most effectively to resolve the situation that confronts them,” State Department officials said here yesterday referring to the reciprocal steps India and Pakistan are taking.

While, the Group of Eight (G-8) highly-industrialised nations have asked Pakistan to initiate further crack down on the terrorist groups operating from its soil.

Pakistan should continue with the arrest of militant leaders and bring them to justice and cut off the sources of funds for the terrorist organisations, the Novosti quoted a statement issued by G-8 Foreign Ministers from Moscow.

The attack on the Indian Parliament must not be allowed to have a negative effect on the India-Pakistan relations, the ministers said.

The ministers expressed “serious concern over growing tension between India and Pakistan as a result of the attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13th’’.

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, who is the G-8 Chairman, said he was following developments between the two countries with “attention and apprehension”.

“We hope that both countries will avoid escalation, will resume political dialogue and join their efforts in the fight against the global terrorist threat,” said the declaration signed by the G-8 Foreign Ministers.

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld echoing Washington's calls for restraint said India and Pakistan have been informed that their rapidly escalating standoff could detract the US led coalition from the war on terrorism.

“It is a difficult and tense situation. We have clearly made the interests we have in this subject known to both sides very carefully and with clarity,” he said.

Expressing “deep concern”, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said India and Pakistan should seek a diplomatic solution to their differences.

Appealing to both the parties to demonstrate restraint and to resort to wisdom and engage in a diplomatic dispassionate dialogue, the oic Secretary-General Abdelwahed Belkeziz said in the Saudi capital Riyadh that “resorting to arms and to the use of force will never resolve the problem, but would rather further aggravate hostility.”

British Home Secretary Jack Straw said he was “deeply concerned” and called on both countries to “work together to resolve their differences.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Tokyo it is hoped that India and Pakistan would address the issues calmly by holding dialogue. PTI, UNI