US should not insert itself between India, Pak: Mulford

New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) Amid reports of the Barack Obama
administration planning to appoint a special envoy for India
and Pakistan, outgoing US Ambassador David C Mulford has said
Washington should not "insert" itself as a "referee" between
the two South Asian countries.

"I think the two sides (India and Pakistan) should be
encouraged but the United States should not insert itself as
the manager or the referee of the process," Mulford told Karan
Thapar in 'Devil's Advocate' programme.

When referred to reports that a special envoy might be
appointed by the incoming Obama administration, he said, "that
issue is going to be addressed by other people. I don't think
that is going to happen".

He, however, said, "I think the foreign policy which has
encouraged both the sides to talk without inserting United
States in the middle has been the right thing to do. The Bush
approach has been successful. It has produced good results."

The Ambassador's comments came in the midst of reports
that the next US administration may appoint former diplomat
Richard C Holbrooke as a special envoy for India and Pakistan.

Describing Kashmir as a "very special problem" which has
to be solved by India and Pakistan by themselves, Mulford said
he had spent five years de-hyphenating the relationship
between the two countries.

Mulford said there are "sensitivities" involved in the
Kashmir issue. "But accepting that although the United States
pushed both the sides and although the peace initiative bore
results, this is a problem for India and Pakistan to solve".

On being given an extension here, the Ambassador said he
was delighted after he was asked to continue in his position
in India after the Obama administration takes over.

"Here in this post, they want to see whether it is
possible for me to continue. The decision on their part is a
tribute to India and their sensitivity than to me," he said.

"I decided it would be a good thing, so I accepted."