WASHINGTON: Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, has said that the United States wants good relations between India and Pakistan but could not play the role of a midwife to settle the disputes between the two countries.
In a special briefing at the US State Department here on Monday, he said the US wanted excellent ties between India and Pakistan but these relations were not compatible. About the political uncertainty and future of President Asif Ali Zardari, Holbrooke said he would not comment on internal affairs of Pakistan because it was up to the people of Pakistan to decide about it.
However, a top US official while talking to this correspondent privately, said: “We are aware of the situation and watching it with great concern but don’t want to comment publicly”. Ambassador Holbrooke, in reply to another question, said: “Reports of dialogue between the Taliban and US officials were baseless and incorrect.” He said there was no direct dialogue between the Taliban and the US officials. “However there was one accidental encounter between the US officials and the Taliban about a year ago when President Obama had not even taken oath,” he added.
Holbrooke said the US wanted to help Pakistan in overcoming its needs, adding he hoped the Pakistani people would recognise our respect for their sovereignty.
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