US won’t influence pace of Indo-Pak dialouge: Burns

US Under Secretary of State William Burns the pace,scope and character of the Indo-Pak dialogue be decided by the leaders of the two countries.

The US pushed for resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue while emphasising that the resolution of the Kashmir issue should take into account the “wishes” of the people of the state,resonating Pakistan’s view.

US Under Secretary of State William Burns told a press conference in New Delhi after discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the “pace,scope and character” of the Indo-Pak dialogue,suspended since the Mumbai terror attacks,be decided by the leaders of the two countries.

“The US has always welcomed dialogue between India and Pakistan. But it is also obvious that pace,scope and character of that dialogue is something Indian and Pakistani leaders have to decide. And how and when to approach that dialogue is also something for them to decide,” he said.

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Burns,the first high-ranking US official to visit India after the recent elections,handed over a letter from President Barack Obama to Singh but declined to divulge its content.

In response to a question on Kashmir,Burns said “it remains our view that resolution of the Kashmir issue has to take into account wishes of Kashmiri people.”

On Mumbai terror attacks,the US official said Pakistan has a special responsibility to bring the perpetrators to justice and take “concrete steps” to ensure there is “no repeat” of it.

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