WASHINGTON, June 9: The United States “will continue to work” with both Pakistan and India “to try to work towards a way that they can talk to each other, that they can deal with all these issues, including Kashmir.”

State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said in response to a question at a news briefing.

Asked as to where the United States stood on the issue of Kashmir, after 50 years of violence, he said: “I don’t think I have anything brand new right now.”

“This is an issue of importance to us,” he said, adding: “It’s an issue that we have pursued with each of the parties as we have pursued a better relationship ourselves with each of the parties. And we know how important these issues are to both governments. We know how important they are to the people in Kashmir.”

The United States, he stated has welcomed “many of the recent steps” that have taken place since the Indian Prime Minister’s trip to the area (Srinagar) and his speech, and we certainly continue to support those kinds of steps.

The spokesman was told that later on this month, President Gen Pervez Musharraf undertakes important US visit.

“So, where do you stand on this issue of Kashmir or this triangle?, and, where is it going to lead now,” he was asked.

“We have welcomed steps that they’ve taken with each other in terms of opening up, in terms of opening up communications routes and sending representatives back. And we’ll continue to work with them to try to work towards a way that they can talk to each other, that they can deal with all these issues, including Kashmir,” Boucher said.

About the next step, he said it was to work on “what we have been working on.”

“That is, to try to get the parties to talk to each other, to try to get some peaceful resolution of the serious issues that are at stake. And we know how important these issues are to both governments. We know how important they are to the people in Kashmir. So that process is certainly made more likely, more positive and more successful by an end to the violence, and that’s what we’re trying to work on, both,” he stated.—APP