Kashmir not in the mandate of Holbrooke: US

Washington, Jan 28 (PTI) Allaying India's
apprehensions, the US has said that Kashmir is not in the
mandate of Richard Holbrooke, who has been appointed the
Special Representative to the region "to deal strictly with
the Pakistan-Afghanistan situation".

"Well, it (Kashmir) is not in his (Holbrooke)
mandate," State Department spokesperson Robert Wood told
reporters at his daily press briefing in response to a
question as to why Kashmir has not been included in the
mandate of Holbrooke.

"Well, it's not in his mandate, as you mentioned, to
deal with the subject of Kashmir. His mandate is to go out and
try to help bring stability to Afghanistan, working closely
with Pakistan to try to deal with the situation in the
Fedrally-Administered Tribal Area," Wood said.

"With regard to Kashmir, I think our policy is
well-known. I think India has some very clear views as to what
it wants to do vis-a-vis, you know, dealing with the Kashmir
issue, as well as the Pakistanis," Wood said.

"But with regard to Ambassador Holbrooke's mission, as
I said, it's to deal strictly with the Pakistan-Afghanistan
situation," Wood insisted, clarifying all doubts if any.

Asked whether the Special Envoy will play a role at a
time when there are heightened tensions between India and
Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes, he said:
"Well, I don't want to speculate in terms of what he may or
may not do, but his brief is focused solely on, as I said,
Afghanistan-Pakistan," Wood said.

Holbrooke, former US ambassador to United Nations, who
brokered the peace deal that ended Bosnia's 1992-95 bloody
war, was appointed as Special Representative for Pakistan and
Afghanistan last week by the Obama Administration.

Making the announcement, Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton had said Holbrooke will coordinate across the entire
government an effort to achieve United States' strategic goals
in the region.

"This effort will be closely coordinated, not only
within the State Department and, of course, with USAID, but
also with the Defense Department and under the coordination of
the National Security Council," she said.

Clinton said dealing with the situation in Afghanistan
requires an integrated strategy that works with both
Afghanistan and Pakistan as a whole, as well as engaging NATO
and other key friends, allies, and those around the world who
are interested in supporting these efforts.

At the same function, the US President, Barack Obama,
had identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as the central front
in the US war against terrorism. PTI LKJ
RKM
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