NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday ruled out any mediation on the Kashmir issue as it prepared for visits by two high level delegations from the United States.
The U.S delegations will be visiting New Delhi and Islamabad during the next two weeks to defuse tension between the neighbors over the Kashmir issue.
An external affairs ministry spokesman said Robert Gates, deputy national security advisor, would be arriving here on May 20 as a special envoy of U.S. President George Bush.
Gates, who is currently in Moscow with U.S secretary of state, James Baker, will be flying here on Sunday with a message from Bush.
He will be accompanied by a high powered delegation, including John Kelly, assistant secretary of state, and Richard Haas, a senior official in the national Security Council.
The spokesman said bilateral, regional, international and economic issues would be discussed by the two sides. The visits are part of the process of bilateral consultations.
Stephen Solarz, chairman of the US house committee on Asia and Pacific, would lead the second delegation on a visit to the subcontinent towards the month end.
This would be Solarz’s second visit to New Delhi within five months.
The spokesman said bilateral, regional, international and economic issues would be discussed by the two sides. The visits are part of the process of bilateral consultations.
Stephen Solarz, chairman of the U.S. House committee on Asia and Pacific, would lead the second visit to New Delhi within five months.
The spokesman said India and the US. Enjoyed “good bilateral relations which have seen a marked improvement in recent years.”
When the U.S. President wished to send a special envoy to India, “we accepted the suggestion and welcomed the visit,” the spokesman said.
India has friendly relations with both Washington and Moscow, he added.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 11, 1990
