The United States on Monday indicated that it is favourably inclined to the civilian nuclear deal between China and Pakistan, but it should be in compliance with the rules of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
A team of officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States' Department of Justice, currently in India, will travel to Pakistan to follow up on leads about Lashkar-e-Tayiba operative David Coleman Headley's activities there. The team, which briefed Indian officials on Monday in New Delhi, will travel to Pakistan, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said. Kelly said the FBI has been consulting closely with Pakistani authorities on this case.
India is "an anchor of stability" in the region and will have to play significant role at the international level, a top US official said on Wednesday.
The United States has said that it is pleased with the success of Pakistan army against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Southern Waziristan and reiterated that it would continue to support such efforts to combat terrorism.
Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Washington, the United States has said preparations are underway to ensure 'a good, substantive schedule' for the Indian leader, the first state guest of the Barack Obama administration. President Barack Obama has invited Dr Singh for his first State Dinner at the White House on November 24. Officials at both the State Department and the White House have held a series of meetings to give final touches to the visit.
The United States, on Tuesday, denied reports that it has plans to seize Pakistan's nuclear weapons, saying it has confidence on the ability of Islamabad to provide adequate security for their atomic arsenal.
The United States is in discussion with India trying to understand the potential impact of the increase in fee of categories of H-1B and L1 visas on Indian companies.
The United States on Wednesday expressed its serious concern over corruption in Afghanistan, but said right now it is focused entirely on the November 7 run-off to presidential elections.
The US is reviewing the suggestion that the border security bill, that significantly increases visa fees of H1-B and L1 categories, was not WTO compliant, days after President Barack Obama signed it into law.
"I think we're aware right now of about 135 US citizens affected by the floods. We have no reports of deaths or injuries," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. "As of Wednesday, I think there were still a handful of American citizens that we had not yet had contact with, so I would assume at this point that we have not accounted for everybody, but at this point we're not aware of anybody that has been killed or injured," Crowley said.
The Obama administration has said that it is in constant touch with the Pakistani government in regard to disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A Q Khan, who, it said, remained a nuclear non-proliferation concern.
The Obama Administration has notified the US Congress about the potential violation of a key arms export act by Pakistan for illegally modifying the Harpoon anti-ship missile, a weapon that could target India.
The Guantanamo detention centre has a major medical facility and a large airstrip both of which could be used in the coming days, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. The major hospitals in Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince have been damaged and the airport is being run by the US army on an emergency basis.
America's special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, will travel to the two countries and to India later this week as part of an orientation trip.
Terming the End-Use Monitoring Agreement with India as a "landmark" pact, the United States on Wednesday said it was an important step in the global non-proliferation effort and brings New Delhi into the mainstream of the regime.
The United States has sought consular access to five American nationals, who were recently arrested in Sargodha in Pakistan's Punjab province on suspicion of links with terrorist groups, the state department said on Wednesday.
The United States State Department has appointed a Kashmiri-origin woman as a special representative to Muslim communities as part of the Obama Administration's effort to reach out to the Muslims around the world.
Welcoming the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia, the United States on Tuesday said it is encouraged by the resumption of the Indo-Pak dialogue, which was stopped in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Amid objections raised by China over Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, United States on Monday said the spiritual leader has the right to visit wherever he wants to and talk to people.
The United States on Friday said it has briefed the Indian government about the progress made in the case of David Coleman Headley, who was nabbed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in October, for plotting a major terror attack in India at the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's behest."I know that our ambassador (Tim Roemer) has briefed the government of India on the case, and we continue to follow the case," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told.
Putting Pakistan on notice, the US has asked it to act together with all "interested parties" to prevent "future terrorist attacks" emanating from its soil and asserted that it will "closely" follow the steps being taken by Islamabad following the Mumbai terror strikes.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday announced a series of humanitarian and developmental aid to Pakistan totaling USD 243.5 million (about Rs 11,500 million), among other aid packages, on the first day of her visit to the country.
India and the US may ink the landmark nuclear deal as early as Friday after President George W Bush signs into law the legislation on the initiative. The signing of the HR7081, the approval legislation for the US-India civilian nuclear agreement, into law by Bush on Wednesday will be followed by formal inking of the accord by the two countries, which will be done by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee.
The United States encourages open exchange between China and the Dalai Lama on the issue of Tibet, an Obama Administration official said today.
"These decisions were good steps that were taken, but clearly more has to be done in terms of getting a real substantive political dialogue back on track in Pakistan," State Department Spokesman Robert Wood told media persons on Monday.
The US state department has said the information provided by the father of a Nigerian man, who is charged with trying to blow up a US-bound flight on December 25, was "insufficient" to revoke the terror-suspect's visa or to put him on the no-fly list.
Holbrooke is currently in Afghanistan after completing a two-day visit to Pakistan. He is said to have told the Pakistani leadership during his visit that there was a need to keep India informed about developments taking place in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The United States today said Pakistan has taken "some positive steps" since the Mumbai terror strikes even as it asked Islamabad to "act" to prevent "any future terrorist attacks".
Analysts suggest that with the Indo-US nuclear deal in limbo, New Delhi could be balancing foreign policy with an eye to the polls. They say that India's sharp response to the US State Department's 'advice' on Iran was one such move. While some felt the response was a case of dangerous over-reaction, others said it was merely an act of diplomacy where relations with other countries, particularly the US, are balanced to suit India's interests.
"The US-India Global Issues Forum develops new and expanded areas for cooperation between the two countries on multilateral issues such as the promotion of democracy, health, environmental protection, and human rights," the State Department spokesman said in a statement.
The United States said on Monday that it is aware of the fact that the Taliban and Al Qaeda would continue targeting Washington and its allies and stressed for a unified approach to deal with such activities.
Hours before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Washington on her maiden visit to India, the United States said New Delhi can play a very constructive role not only in the region, but also as a global player. "We want to truly look forward, and look at this relationship as something that can be very constructive in the kind of role that India can play not just in the region, but as a global player too," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.
The US, which backed President Pervez Musharraf for aiding the 'war on terror', on Friday said the decision to impeach the embattled leader is an "internal matter" of Pakistan, but must be "consistent with the rule of law and their constitution."
"We continually review our strategy with respect to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. So it is something that is occupying quite a bit of our time at the State Department, DOD, as well as the White House," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
When asked if India should be test-firing a nuclear capable missile at a time when Washington is trying to dismantle the nuclear programmes of Iran and North Korea, McCormack replied: "It's not the first time they've test-fired missiles.
The US has refused to be drawn into the latest uncertainty in Pakistan following Nawaz Sharif's decision to pull out PML-N ministers from the government and said political parties in the country will have to address the issues pertaining to coalition politics.
The US has said it was encouraging forces working for a moderate Pakistan, besides helping the Islamic country check the violent extremists operating in its territory that were as much a threat to it as to its neighbours.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday spoke to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee over telephone about the bilateral nuclear deal. During the conversation, Rice conveyed to Mukherjee that the US was keen on moving ahead with the civilian nuclear deal, informed State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. McCormack said, "She (Rice) still supports it going forward. We have conveyed that to the Indian government at a number of different levels."
The United States has said that it is not contemplating any deal with Pakistan similar to the India-US nuclear agreement, insisting that New Delhi's case was unique because of its past record on non-proliferation.Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday indicated that the country may seek a similar arrangement with its close ally China. "Pakistan will now make efforts for a civil nuclear deal and they (the world community) will have to accommodate us," he said.
The US on Wednesday said the issue of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's plans to doff his uniform after re-election is a matter for the Pakistanis to work out within the "confines of their laws and Constitution."
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