NEW DELHI, Jan 24: US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill ha described the speech of President Gen Pervez Musharraf as ground-breaking and said the Pakistan leader is definitely going in the right direction.

Talking to newsperson here, Blackwill said the international community hoped that the issues between India and Pakistan could be settled peacefully, diplomatically and politically.

Asked about his assessment of the situation in Kashmir, Blackwill, who last week visited the held Kashmir with Chief of US Defence Intelligence Agency Admiral Thomas Wilson,said “obviously the tension between India and Pakistan including along the LoC continues to be dangerous.”

He the standoff between nuclear powers India and Pakistan remains “dangerous.”

“It is worrisome when you have two armies next to one another fully forward, deployed and ready. One worries about a spark setting it off,” he added.

About how long American military presence will be there in Central Asian region, he said “ this does not necessarily mean permanent US military bases.”

He said “our military presence in the region is associated with the war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. I can’t give you a time line because it depends on dealing finally with that problem”.

Asked if Tuesday’s attack at the American Center in Kolkata was an attack on US interests, the ambassador said: “We have not ruled it out. We have not ruled anything in or out.” —AFP