01 November 2004	Monday	17 Ramazan 1425

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NEW YORK, Oct 31: Senator John Kerry has said bilateral engagement between India and Pakistan is important for resolving the dispute in Kashmir, and to combating terrorism.

"Pakistan's support is important to operations in Afghanistan," said Mr Kerry, in an interview with the Association of Pakistani Professional's (AOPP) magazine Vibes on the eve of the elections.

Senator Kerry said: "It is my hope that Pakistan will always remember that our goal is to have free nations with open societies in which there is no place for terror or the support of terror."

"Pakistan has much to gain from internal reform, and I stand eager to foster and support this process," he added.

Asked about his vision of Middle East and the resolution of Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Mr Kerry said: "In our administration, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not be an afterthought, but a priority that will always get the consistent, high-level attention it deserves."

"We will bring determined leadership to ending the violence and developing a new Palestinian leadership - one that is committed in word and deed to fighting terror and meeting the needs of its people," he said.

Mr Kerry observed: "Bringing security and stability to the Middle East is vital to American national security, to the security of Israel and other countries in the region, and to the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a viable Palestinian state."

Asked whether US-led war in Iraq was justified and what he would do differently, Senator Kerry said: "Iraq was not even close to the center of the war on terror before the president invaded it. The president made the judgment to divert forces from under General Tommy Franks from Afghanistan before the Congress even approved it to begin to prepare to go to war in Iraq. And he rushed the war in Iraq without a plan to win the peace."

Mr Kerry said: "You don't take America to war unless you have the plan to win the peace."

"The President (Bush) also promised America that he would go to war as a last resort. Those words mean something to me, as somebody who has been in combat. 'Last resort.' You've got to be able to look in the eyes of families and say to those parents, 'I tried to do everything in my power to prevent the loss of your son and daughter.' I don't believe the United States did that," he said.

Asked about racial profiling of Muslims after the passage of the Patriot Act and the subsequent revelation of prisoners abuse in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharaib prison in Iraq, Senator John Kerry said: As a former prosecutor, I know that racial, ethnic, and religious profiling is wrong as well as ineffective. It must be ended."

"Diversity is one of America's greatest strengths and respect for it - one of our most important values."

Mr Kerry declared: "My administration will safeguard civil rights and defend civil liberties. We will not tolerate targeting of Americans for threats, violence or discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, or religion."

"We cannot fight the war on terrorism at the expense of our principles and the rule of law," said the Democratic Party leader.

He said: "Senator Edwards (Mr Kerry's running mate) and I understand that fighting terrorism in America and abroad is not a fight against Muslims and it is not a fight against Arabs.

"It is a fight against fanaticism. It is a fight of the majority for progress against the primitive fears of the few," he said.

He said: "As president, I will put in place a strong and smart strategy to win the war on terror - an approach that recognizes the complexity of the challenge and uses all the tools at our disposal. I understand that the path to victory will be found in the company of others, not walking alone."

"We will work with allies in Arab and Muslim countries and across the globe. Our administration will never, ever wait for a green light from abroad when our safety is at stake - but we will not alienate those whose support we should have, and must enlist, to help make America more secure," he declared.