ISLAMABAD, April 13: The United States may sign a civil nuclear agreement with Pakistan in future, visiting US Senator Chuck Hagel said on Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing here after meeting President General Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, he said energy helped a lot in countering socio-economic challenges.

Mr Hagel said that Pakistani leaders had raised the issue during talks with him. He said it was a complicated issue and a responsible approach should be adopted to work out a solution of such issues.

He said the United States attached importance to its ties with India, but stressed that the US-India nuclear deal must not be viewed by Pakistan and China or any other country as a step towards minimising relations with them.

He pointed out that the agreement with India was yet to be examined and approved by the US Congress which would require an extensive discussion. He said the agreement was more than a nuclear pact as it covered many other areas, but the nuclear part was considered to be its centre piece.

He said energy, nuclear technology and environmental issues could not be segregated as these were inexplicably interlinked.

Pakistan, he said, was an important ally of the United States in many areas and added that the US continued to develop its cooperation with its friends based on different needs.

He welcomed confidence-building measures (CBMs) between Pakistan and India to move towards solution of outstanding problems, including the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

He said these problems needed to be solved by the concerned countries themselves, but the US could help enhance the CBMs. “That is the way you build trust and confidence to address the challenges of historic differences,” he remarked.

Mr Hagel said the United States would be ready to play any role Pakistan and India desired to help them move towards resolution of disputes.

In reply to a question, he said the US supported democracy and free and fair elections in Pakistan and added that during the meeting President Musharraf had held out the assurance that elections would be held in 2007 in a free, fair and transparent manner. He said the uniform of President Musharraf was an internal matter of Pakistan.

About the negative fallout on Pakistan of the US-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan and the repercussions of a possible US attack against Iran, he said military strike was not a responsible and feasible option. “I do not expect any military solution to the uranium issue.”

The US senator appreciated Pakistan’s role in dealing with terrorism and extremism, saying “the government and the people of Pakistan are working diligently and the United States is grateful for the cooperation.”