United States State Department spokesman P J Crowley resigned on Sunday, days after criticising the Pentagon's treatment of the man accused of leaking secret cables to Wikileaks as "ridiculous, counterproductive and stupid". "Given the impact of my remarks, for which I take full responsibility, I have submitted my resignation as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs and Spokesman for the Department of State," Crowley said in his resignation statement.
The United States has asked Pakistan to honour the diplomatic immunity to American citizen Raymond Davis, who was arrested for killing two people in Lahore, and release him under the Vienna Convention.
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has taken up the issue of the American 'diplomat' who has been in police custody for killing two people in Lahore, with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. Clinton raised the matter during her telephonic conversation with Zardari last week and also when she met Kayani on the sidelines of the Munich conference over the weekend.
In an apparent reference to India, the United States on Friday said it wants emerging powers to cooperate with its effort to galvanise international community in imposing sanctions against Iran through United Nations Security Council.
The United States has said it is currently focusing on the reinstatement of those students not implicated in the ongoing investigations into the visa scam by the California-based Tri Valley University.
The United States has defended its decision to send former diplomat Frank Wisner to Egypt despite knowing that he worked for a lobbying group, Patton Boggs, which lobbied on behalf of the Egyptian government. Wisner was uniquely placed to deliver a 'blunt and candid private message' to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. The Obama administration was quick to distance itself from Wisner's remarks at a Munich conference.
The United States on Tuesday accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by detaining one of its diplomats, who is currently in police custody for shooting down two persons in Lahore last week. "When he was detained, he identified himself to the police as a diplomat and repeatedly requested immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.
Amid reports that the Obama administration was upset over Indian officials going into the details provided by Headley, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said the US values cooperation with India on combating terrorism but it places responsibility on both countries.
Holbrooke was admitted to the intensive care unit of the nearby George Washington University and was being treated for blood clot, the ABC news reported.
United States and India will hold their four-day inaugural strategic dialogue beginning June one which would include an in-depth discussion between the leaders of the two countries on global and regional issues.
The United States said it expected full cooperation from Pakistan in its investigations related to the Times Square bomb case, in which prime suspect Faisal Shahzad has told federal authorities that he received bomb-making training in Waziristan.
"We certainly have encouraged and continue to encourage Pakistan to fully investigate the Mumbai attacks, and even more importantly, bring those responsible before their judicial system," the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, P J Crowley, said.
"Our understanding is, it was a very positive cordial meeting. There were the pledges of further conversation by their Foreign Ministers. We are very encouraged by it," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley, told PTI.
As India goes ahead with its plan to modernise the armed forces, US has pitched for India to buy defense equipments from American companies. "We think we have the finest military hardware in the world, and if India is upgrading its defense capabilities, they should buy American," State Department spokesman, P J Crowley told reporters.
The Obama administration has said the decision by a Florida pastor to burn the holy Quran on September 11 is 'un-American' and warned that such actions could endanger US' interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
"We would like to have a fuller military-to-military relationship and dialogue so that we can better understand China's long-term military plans, and that is something that we continue to seek," State Department spokesman, P J Crowley said.
Asking the south Asian neighbours to avoid a 'zero-sum mentality', the United States has said that Pakistan has to have a constructive relationship with India. "Do all these countries need to avoid a zero-sum mentality that a gain on one side is necessarily a detriment on the other? We think that to the extent that these countries can work more effectively together, that will ultimately help reduce the threat of terrorism to any one of them," he said.
While welcoming the landmark victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Sri Lankan presidential polls, the United States has underlined the need for a 'thorough' probe into 'possible violation' of election laws.
"We certainly think it would be a mistake for the Pakistani civilian government to follow the press intimidation that was present during its predecessor," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said when asked about the recent developments in Pakistan in this regard.
The United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on 21 Iranian-backed firms, increasing pressure over Tehran's controversial nuclear programme and its alleged support for radical groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
Even as the Inter State Intelligence stands completely exposed in the eyes of the public for its terror links, in particular those against India, the Obama Administration has argued that New Delhi should continue its dialogue process with Islamabad.
The United States has said it is important for Pakistan to investigate the Mumbai terror attack and bring to justice those responsible for the entire region's benefit. State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news briefing that the US would continue to discuss with Pakistan the need to probe the 26/11 carnage that killed 166 people. "There are things, clearly, that Pakistan must do," he said.
The US has sought more information from China on its agreement to supply two nuclear reactors to Pakistan, saying the deal would need an agreement of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. "We as a first step are looking for more information from China as to what it is potentially proposing," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told media-persons at his daily press briefing.
Endorsing parleys between Indian and Pakistan, the US has said that it is in the interest of the two South Asian neighbours to resolve their differences mutually through dialogue.
The United States has asked China to clarify details of its agreement with Pakistan to supply two nuclear power plants to the latter.
Amid controversy generated by the release of secret cables by WikiLeaks, including those from United States embassy in New Delhi, the Barack Obama administration has said that American diplomats in India are doing their job just like their counterparts in the US. "Our diplomats do what diplomats do, and what we do in a country like India is no different than what Indian diplomats do in our country," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said at his daily news conference.
Ahead of Indo-US Strategic Dialogue, an Obama Administration official termed India as a "great and emerging global power" and said the talks, next week, will take the relationship between the two nations to a new level.
The United States has warned India and other key governments across the world about a new potentially embarrassing release of classified documents by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks which may harm the American interests and create tension in its ties with its "friends".
Notwithstanding concerns raised by the Pakistan government and its powerful military, the United States on Tuesday defended the $7.5 billion aid bill, saying there is nothing in the legislation, which impinges on the sovereignty of Pakistan.
The United States has ruled out any cut in its assistance to Pakistan in view of the recent revelation that Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan is responsible for the failed Times Square bomb attempt, as demanded by certain American lawmakers.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not warn Islamabad of 'severe consequences' if a terrorist attack inside the United States was traced back to Pakistan, two top officials of the State Department clarified on Monday. "I don't think she said that," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley told reporters when asked about the statement purportedly made by Clinton during an interview to CBS news on Sunday.
The United States is talking to both India and Pakistan about their nuclear programmes, a top Obama Administration official has said.
The United States has admitted that two of the three wives of Lashkar-e-Tayiba terrorist David Headley had multiple conversations with its officials in 2007 and 2008 about his radical connection, but they could not provide any specific information about the time and place of the terror attacks.
"There's nothing we see that indicates that Mullah Omar will, in fact, change his stripes; as a result, we don't see that he qualifies to play a constructive role in Afghanistan's future," State Department spokesman P J Crowley told media persons.
The Barack Obama administration has said the meeting of foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan, held in New Delhi on Thursday, is a 'courageous' step by the leaders of the two neighbouring countries. "We certainly commend the leadership of political courage and making sure that the meeting takes place. Now, the challenge is to build on this going forward," said Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P J Crowley.
'The government ought to have taken Parliament into confidence on the EUMA rather than place on record just the two sentences on the agreement found in Krishna's statement on Clinton's visit.'
United States has said it is looking at India to see what changes can be made in certain provisions in the Nuclear Liability Bill, which was recently passed by the Parliament.
Encouraged by the possibility of talks between India and Pakistan, the Obama administration has said the two south Asian neighbours share a number of important interests -- from tackling terrorism to encouraging trade.
The Obama administration welcomed the Indian proposal to hold talks with Pakistan at the level of foreign secretary on Thursday.
Amid concerns about the high level corruption in aid distribution in Pakistan, the United States has said it will not tolerate corruption in distribution of aid and flood relief work in the flood-hit country.
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