WASHINGTON - The United States wants India and Pakistan to work "bilaterally" to resolve some of their differences so as to ease tensions between them, a State Department spokesman has said.
"I think our position hasn’t changed, that we want tensions between India and Pakistan to be reduced," spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the daily press briefing on Tuesday. He was responding to an Indian journalist's question about the ongoing New Delhi-Islamabad tensions while voicing India's lament over China blocking at the United Nations an Indian attempt seeking action against Pakistan over the release of Mumbai attack mastermind and LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi. The journalist also claimed that some human rights groups- he did not name any - were accusing China of supporting terrorism by siding with Pakistan.
"I haven’t seen the comments that you’re referring to with respect to China and the UN," Kirby said. China shot down the Indian complaint against Pakistan in the UN Counterterrorism Committee on the ground that the information provided by India was insufficient and that the move was politically motivated.
In reply to another question about Indian Foreign Secretary Dr S Jaishankar's visit to Washington on June 29, the spokesman said US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hosted him and Ambassador Arun Singh for a working lunch. The Deputy was joined by Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine Novelli and Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Biswal, an American of Indian origin. "Discussions included the full range of bilateral issues, including counterterrorism, climate/clean energy, strengthening US-India business ties, and regional connectivity," Kirby said.