Pak. factor will not hit Indo-U.S. ties: Blackwill

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 21. The U.S. Ambassador to India, Mr. Robert Blackwill, told the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, this afternoon that the ``operational requirements'' of the U.S. would not affect the on-going transformation in the Indo-U.S. relations. India, on its part, was effusive in its praise for the U.S. approach to combat terrorism as spelt out by the President, Mr. George W. Bush, today.

Mr. Singh, at a press conference held after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), described Mr. Bush's address to the U.S. Congress as ``categorical and statesman-like'' and which India ``welcomed entirely''. Mr. Bush's speech demonstrated the U.S. resolve to root out terrorism.

Indicating that it was business as usual between the two countries, Mr. Singh announced that he would be visiting Washington on October 2 for detailed consultations with his counterpart, Gen. Colin Powell and the U.S. Defence Secretary,

Mr. Donald Rumsfeld.

Talking to reporters earlier, Mr. Blackwill said that Washington was keen on receiving the Mr. Singh to determine ``where we go from here.''

Mr. Singh clarified that the Indo-Pak. dialogue process had been halted as the leadership on both sides were preoccupied with dealing with the fallout of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. He welcomed Pakistan's decision to join the global fight against terrorism. In response to a question, Mr. Singh said lifting of the U.S. sanctions on Pakistan would be a ``good thing'' as it would ease Pakistan's economic burden.

India, Russia and the U.S. are looking at reviving the Taliban opposition and factoring it in their global strategy to combat terrorism, highly-placed sources in the Government said.

The three countries are discussing the pros and cons of reviving the Northern Alliance which has battled the Taliban regime since the early Nineties. The multi-ethnic Alliance, which is headed by Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani, recently lost its top military commander, Ahmad Shah Masood.

The revival of the Alliance, according to sources, was discussed during the recently-concluded visit of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, to Moscow. The future of Afghanistan was also a prominent topic of discussion between the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, when he called the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh over telephone. Mr. Jaswant Singh, during his conversation with the Iranian counterpart, Mr. Kamal Kharrazi, earlier this week also discussed options which could result in stability in Afghanistan.

During the press conference, Mr. Singh said that a link between the attack on Masood and the terrorist strikes in the U.S. could not be ruled out. The CCS also kept track of the anti-Government demonstrations in Pakistan.

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