While providing a read-out of the Clinton-Menon meeting Wood was asked if there would be a follow-up meeting between the two countries soon, or if Clinton would be going to India sometime, to which he replied, "At some point, the Secretary will be going to India, but there's isn't any plan at this moment of her travel. But you know, when there is, we'll certainly let you know."
''In terms of the investigation itself by Scotland Yard, we view this as a credible investigation by independent, outside experts,'' State Department spokesman Tom Casey said. ''We don't have any reason why we would question the validity of their assessment,'' he added.
The US has said its policy on the Kashmir issue that it should be resolved bilaterally remains unchanged, days after Pakistan Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani sought its support in the settlement of the problem with India.
The Bush administration wants to learn more about the work of Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist A Q Khan and his network activities even as Islamabad maintains the matter related to him as "a closed chapter".
The United States has welcomed President Pervez Musharraf's decision to lift emergency rule on December 16, calling it a positive and significant step to steer Pakistan back towards democracy. "It's a positive and significant step. We look forward to the elections taking place in early January," US State department spokesman Sean McCormack said in his briefing.
The United States government has no high-level contact with New Delhi on the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement, after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke to her External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday.
"I don't think there's any change. There's no change in their status," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, commenting on the issue in the backdrop of a meeting between a top American envoy in Kathmandu Nancy Powell and Maoist leader Prachanda.
"They had a discussion about where we stand. We made it clear that we are fully prepared once the Indian government has taken certain steps to submit the agreements to the Congress so that they can be passed," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said when asked about the talks between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee earlier this week.
He admitted that some member countries of the 45-nation grouping have expressed concerns about the deal and 'we have talked to a lot of those various states'. "I am not going to name them, but we have talked to a lot of them. They have announced themselves publicly. You can look it up and what their concerns are," McCormack said.
The Bush administration visualises a "qualitative change" in US-India relations in the wake of the civilian nuclear agreement between the two countries.
"Whatever the solution is, certainly the people of the region need to have a voice in it, however the two sides choose to resolve it," McCormack added.
The Bush Administration has expressed hope that the ethnic Indians detained in Malaysia will be provided full protections under the Malaysian law and would be given due process.
There is no conceivable reason for any big power to put road blocks on the path of an India-Pakistan normalisation process, asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
US says no to changing its laws for N-deal with India.
Dismissing speculations that the India-United States nuclear agreement was 'dead', the Bush administration has said that Washington will continue to work towards making the landmark deal a reality. "We are still very supportive of the deal. We still would like to see it move forward, but the Indian government and the political system is engaged in a debate, and we'll see what the outcome out of that debate is," US States Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
As for the decision of who fills what post, that's going to be up to the Pakistani government and ultimately the people to decide, the US said.
Playing down the significance of a new nuclear reactor being built by Pakistan, the Bush administration has said the new facility will produce far less plutonium than was reported by an independent think tank.
The US has said this is a precursor to discussions on the N-deal.
US avoids comment on Manmohan Singh's nuke statement in Parliament.
McCormack wanted what he described as 'our friends in Pakistan' to view a free media as an institution that ultimately strengthens the society and added that the media has a responsibility to report the news accurately and objectively.
It has been the tradition, that the US president has appointed a person to that job. And that person traditionally has been an American.
"After one year of unsuccessful authoritarian rule, this is the best way to address the Maoist insurgency and to build a brighter future of Nepal's people," the statement said.
The United States on Wednesday said that it would support India's effort in getting some of the steps cleared for the finalisation of the India-United States civil nuclear agreement, but those steps have to be taken by India first. "There are a number of different steps that will need to be taken in order to finally conclude all aspects of this agreement. It's up to India to go through some of those steps on their own," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
'There are a number of different interests that we have in common'.
But the Bush Administration assured that the changes will be within the framework of the Joint Statement.
"Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi, the Japanese government and many other governments have stated clearly that they will not submit to this kind of blackmail," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Thursday.
The meeting is being attended by United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway.
The two countries are aiming at sorting out differences particularly on issues like reprocessing right, perpetuity of fuel supplies and continuance of the civilian nuclear cooperation if India were to conduct an atomic test.
Undersecretary for Political Affairs R Nicholas Burns also spoke about the case yesterday during a joint news briefing with Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah in Washington.
"I know that there were some press reports about whether or not he was going to be going this week or next week. I am not aware that he has any travel plans, at this point, to go to India," McCormack said.
We hope that the government of India will convey to Than Shwe during his visit concerns shared by the international community, said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
In the meantime Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the US was still trying to figure out what really happened in North Korea.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said China opposes US efforts to use human rights as an excuse to "interfere with other countries' internal affairs."
Bush has said he "intends" to nominate the Career Minister to the post. Boucher's nomination has to be confirmed by the US Senate.
Newsweek magazine on Sunday apologised for and on Tuesday withdrew the report, which claimed that American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay detention centre abused the holy book, saying it might have erred in reporting the incident.
The legislation on the civilian nuclear deal is to be structured in such a way that Congressmen feel comfortable about its language and then work through some other pending issues
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