The Hindu : Afghanistan: no U.S. demarche to India

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 09, 2002

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National

Afghanistan: no U.S. demarche to India

NEW DELHI DEC. 8. Asserting that the United States had issued no demarche to it on its involvement in Afghanistan, India today said that the U.S. had recently voiced concern about Pakistan's ``insecurities'' regarding its role in the war-ravaged country.

``There was no U. S. demarche. The U. S. did express a week or so ago concerns about Pakistan's insecurities regarding India's role in Afghanistan,'' an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said.

He was responding to queries about a press report that the U. S. had recently issued a demarche to India saying that it should go slow on its political and reconstruction activities in Afghanistan as these were having an adverse impact on the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf.

The spokesman said, ``the U. S. is aware that we see our relations with Afghanistan in their own right and not through the prism of any third country."

``We are continuing to coordinate closely with the Afghan Government and the U. S. in our efforts of assistance.

India and the U. S., the spokesman said, shared the same objectives that were now focussed on reconstruction.

Official sources said India's assistance to Afghanistan has been appreciated by Kabul.

They said the difference in perception existed in some manner with the U. S. on the nature of the support being given to the remaining Al-Qaeda and Taliban groups .

PTI

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