The United States has said that continuing infiltration of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from Pakistan into India is one of the most important obstacles in improving relations between the two South Asian neighbours and resuming dialogue.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake told reporters on Friday that the US had consistently called for greater action from Pakistan to stop activities of these groups. “Pakistan has done so (stopped terror groups) in the past between 2004 and 2007 and that laid the basis for a very significant expansion in relations between India and Pakistan. So, we’d like to see these two friends get back on that same course again. But one of the first things that has to happen is for there to be visible progress in stopping this,” Blake said.

Blake noted that both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had made this very point in the past. “These groups are all operating together as a syndicate. And so it’s very much in Pakistan’s own interest to take on these groups as well,” he said.

Blake denied the US was putting pressure on India or Pakistan to resume dialogue. “We always have an interest in seeing our two friends have peaceful relations, but we are not pressurising either side... We have consistently said that it is up to India and Pakistan to determine how to improve their relations. We will always stand ready to help in any way we can...”

The US and India embark on a strategic dialogue in Washington next week even as some significant issues loom unresolved. While the Indian Parliament is yet to approve nuclear liability legislation as well as a bill that seeks to open India to foreign universities, the US has not provided Indian investigators access to David Coleman Headley, who has confessed to helping terrorists plan the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

On the overall issue of counter-terrorism cooperations, Blake noted that this is a relatively recent phenomenon between the US and India. He said both countries have been focused on law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing because of the increasingly common threats, particularly those in India faced by Lashkar-e-Toiba.

On Iran, Blake said it was a very important issue for both countries. “Both countries are opposed to any kind of nuclear arms for Iran and understand the strategic consequences should it acquire such a weapon,” he said.

The US official also addressed a perception in some circles that the Obama administration was not as focused on its relationship with India as the Bush administration. “The Obama administration attaches great importance to our relations with India and as President Obama himself has said, this will be one of our signature partnerships in the 21st century,” he said.

He acknowledged that there were people who perceive the Obama administration as being cool to India, but said, “The only way that we’re really going to get beyond that is just by delivering results and by showing, in a concrete way, all of the various things that we’re doing. And so I think that’s going to be one of the purposes of the strategic dialogue.”

“India matters to the US because it’s the world’s largest democracy and an increasingly important partner in addressing common global concerns. In just 10 years, we’ve had a complete transformation in our bilateral relations and a transformation that enjoys bipartisan support both in India and the United States,” Blake said.

Kathmandu, May 29
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has agreed to step down as demanded by opposition Maoists after top parties hammered out an eleventh-hour deal to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly by one year, averting a major political crisis in Nepal.

The deal to extend the tenure of the 601-member Constituent Assembly, which was to expire midnight last night, was struck by top leaders of the UCPN-Maoist and ruling alliance partners Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.

The agreement was reached just hours before the expiry of term of the Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new Constitution, Nepali Congress General Secretary Bimalendra Nidhi said today.

As per the deal, the Prime Minister has assured the Maoists that he would tender his resignation at an appropriate time to pave the way for formation of a government on the basis of consensus among political parties, he said.

The major parties also agreed to conclude the peace process and expedite the process of drafting a new Constitution by forging collaboration.

Nepal’s ruling coalition last week introduced a bill in the Constituent Assembly to extend the term of the House by one year so that it could finish the task of framing the Constitution. — PTI

Beijing, May 29
President Pratibha Patil, a vegetarian, has flown in her own cooks for her six-day China visit, fully aware that she was visiting a nation known for a cuisine that is primarily non-vegetarian and where gourmet dishes are whipped out of many animal, bird and fish species.

In fact, the President who attended a sumptuous state banquet on Thursday given by her Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of People bypassed the non-vegetarian dishes and tucked into a meal which included a special dish of white gourd.

Officials said Patil, who is staying in the majestic Hotel Raffles Beijing, has a huge suite which has a big kitchen, with separate entry for staff members. Patil is in China on a six-day visit that is taking her to Beijing, Luoyang and Shanghai.

“She is a simple eater and likes her dal, rice and one vegetable. Her chef knows her liking,” an official said.

Not only chefs Laxman Rai and Dheeraj Mani Bhatt are taking care of the President’s needs, but also her husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat, son-in-law Jayesh Rathore and grandson Dhruvesh Rathor, who are accompanying her in the visit.

As Chinese dining etiquettes demand that guests do not decline any food that is served to them, Chinese authorities were informed about the President’s preferences in advance. “She was not offered any non-vegetarian fare (at the state banquet),” said the official.

A huge steel box labelled with bold letters “grocery” was flown to China. In fact, it was one of the few things that were loaded first in the special aircraft Air India One, in which the President and her entourage travelled.

“We are carrying everything for the journey. We know her choices so we have packed everything. We wanted to be fully prepared,”the official said.— IANS