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ShareNew Delhi: Ruling out mediation in relations between India and Pakistan, the United States today said its "pace and character" will be determined by the two countries, and not by any "outside interest".
"The US believes that bilateral relations between Pakistan and India will be determined by the two countries, and not by us or any outside interest or any other country," US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer said.
The remarks came in the backdrop of repeated calls by Pakistan to the US to use its influence with India to press for resumption of the stalled composite dialogue process.
It was for India and Pakistan to resolve issues, whatever they are - border or any other, he said.
To a question, he said the US feels "very strongly" that the seven suspects arrested by Pakistan for their involvement in 26/11 terror attacks should be convicted and prosecuted.
Briefing reporters about some of the talking points between US president Barack Obama and prime minister Manmohan Singh during the recent visit of Singh, he said, "They had a very fruitful exchange of thoughts about working together to make sure that Pakistan effectively prosecutes the seven suspects caught...
"..That is something the US feels very strongly about and that they will pursue these seven suspects (prosecution)", he said.
On Obama's letter to his Pakistani counterpart Asif Ali Zardari reportedly asking that country to shed its policy of "using insurgents" like LeT as a strategic tool, the ambassador refused to give details saying it was for the president to talk about it.
It is up to the president "what he says when it becomes public, if it becomes public", Roemer said on the reported letter written to Zardari.
According to the reports in the US, Obama has conveyed a stern message to Zardari and warned if it cannot deliver against terrorists, the US may be impelled to use "any means" at its disposal.
Noting that a peaceful and stable Pakistan was not only in India's interest but also in the interest of the world, Roemer said both Obama and Singh talked extensively about the situation in Pakistan, and they talked about choking feeder routes to terror and safe haven wherever they may be.
On the FBI team's visit to India next week, the ambassador said post the Mumbai attacks, "the agency continues to develop trust and confidence with the Indian government".
They are "not only testifying but also bringing a lot of expertise forward and tracking information, DNA that was very useful to India," he said.
Talking about the Counter-Terrorism MoU signed during Singh's visit, he said the "blood thirsty" terrorists are not a threat to the region alone but for the world as whole.
Describing Singh's visit as "watershed moment" in the US-India relationship, he said, "It was a meeting of the minds, literally and figuratively, reflecting not only the bold potential of our global partnership but also underlining the strength and depth of the unique people-to-people ties that fuel this defining partnership for the 21st century."
