US taking Musharraf's revelations on aid diversion seriously

The US has said it is taking very seriously “allegations" by former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf that aid provided by it forthe 'war against terror' was diverted during his tenure to strengthen defences against India, but refused to say whether any probe has been ordered.

A State Department official said the "allegations were not specific" and as of now the US was not aware of any such violations.

"This is former President who has made these allegations. We take seriously any allegations like this. But simply we don't have the details to be able to respond to the allegations," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters when asked about the latest revelations by Musharraf.

In an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Musharraf admitted that he had violated the rules governing the use of the military aid, but justified his action, saying he had "acted in the best interest of Pakistan".

Kelly evaded a reply when asked whether any investigations have been launched in this regard.

"First of all, Musharraf is a private citizen. He provided very few details, so we would refer you to him to get these kinds of details," Kelly said.

"I would just say, as a general principle, we take very seriously any allegation of using US-originating military assistance for purposes other than we had already agreed to and that we had intended them for," Kelly said.

Asked whether he was worried about the diplomatic implications of what Musharraf is saying, Kelly said: "It was a very broad statement with no specifics that I know of. And we would just need, I think, to have more details about that."

To a question whether there are some follow-up implications to this, he said: "Yes."

Reacting to Musharraf's statement, India has said the revelation does not come as a surprise to it.

"We have for some years now arguing that the only problem we have with the US military aid to Pakistan is its misuse against us," minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor had said on Monday in New Delhi.

Courtesy:timesofindia.com

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N-deal with India will send strong signal to Iran said Mr. Burn

Washington: The nuclear deal with India will send a strong signal to “outlaws such as Iran” on how a country could be “rewarded” if it behaves, the U.S. has said as it questioned New Delhi’s assertion on “civilisational ties” with Tehran
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The U.S. also termed as “anachronistic” India’s defence of some of its “oppressive and anti-democratic” non-aligned movement partners in the United Nations resolutions.
As uncertainty looms large over the India-U.S. nuclear deal, Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns has indicated that his country was aware of the difficulties that the initiative would encounter.

“...we knew that the nuclear issue was the proverbial elephant in the room in the U.S. relationship with India. We also understood that resolving it would allow us to define a more truly ambitious partnership,” he said in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine.

Referring to the opposition to the deal by Left parties, he said that despite the “objections”, the UPA government has “stood firm and is meeting its commitments under the agreement.”
Mr. Burns, who was key American negotiator for the deal, said the agreement served the U.S.’ national security interests.

“This agreement will deepen the strategic partnership, create new opportunities for the U.S. businesses in India, enhance global energy security, and reduce India’s carbon emissions,” he said

Courtesy:The Hindu
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Indian immigrants Bobby Jindal is looking to win election

US Republican Bobby Jindal, the Oxford-educated son of Indian immigrants, is looking to win election outright in today's primary to become Louisiana's first nonwhite governor since the 1870s.

Four years after he lost a heated battle for governor, the 36-year-old Jindal is well ahead of the pack in a repeat run. If he gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, he will win election outright and avoid a runoff. If elected, he would be the youngest US governor currently in office
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The Republican's prospects have brightened thanks to three years of congressional experience, a splintered Democratic field and an incumbent whose political fortunes were done in by Hurricane Katrina.

Polls have shown Jindal has the support of nearly half the state's voters, and no one else is even close in the field of a dozen candidates. "I personally think that Bobby Jindal will take it in the first round," said Pearson Cross, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette political scientist.
Under Louisiana's open primary system, all candidates for governor are running against each other, regardless of party.

Cortesy:The Times of India
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