Last week, Trump offered to help Pakistan solve its problems and praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a "terrific guy".
US Vice President-elect Mike Pence indicated that Donald Trump will want to mediate between India and Pakistan when he takes office as President.
Asked on Sunday whether that meant Trump wanted to mediate the long-running dispute between Pakistan and India, Pence acknowledged recent violence in the Kashmir region and said Trump wanted "continued U.S. engagement" with both sides.
Trump will show "energetic leadership" in engaging with foreign nations and "look for ways that he can bring those extraordinary deal-making skills to bear on lessening tensions and solving problems in the world," Pence said on NBC's 'Meet the Press'.
Last week, Trump offered to help Pakistan solve its problems and praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a "terrific guy" during a phone conversation, the Pakistani leader's office said. The remark raised several hackles in New Delhi, who has so far not sought the intervention of the United Stated in settling the dispute over Kashmir with Pakistan.
"Well, clearly there's been great tension between India and Pakistan in recent days, which resulted in violence along the Kashmir region. And I think what the President-elect expressed in conversations with leaders from both countries was a desire for continued US engagement on building the relationship with both of those countries," Pence said.
Further asserting that Trump recognised India, Pakistan as nuclear powers, Pence added that US intends to be fully engaged in the region and fully engaged with both nations to advance peace and security.
Field widens for Secretary of State
Pence also said Trump may consider new candidates for secretary of state, America's top diplomat, after having narrowed the field last week to four people: Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee; Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York; U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus. "We've been winnowing the list, but it might grow a little bit," Pence said on NBC.
Trump met on Friday with John Bolton, ambassador to the United States under Republican President George W. Bush. Trump will have additional interviews with new candidates for secretary of state in the coming week, Kellyanne Conway, Trump's senior adviser who managed his campaign, told reporters at Trump Tower on Sunday.
Among the new names: Jon Huntsman, a former ambassador to China and ex-Utah governor, Rex Tillerson, the chief executive of ExxonMobil, and retired Admiral James Stavridis, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters.
With ANI and Reuters inputs.
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