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Albright leaves after hurried visit

US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright today made it clear that the Clinton administration had no intention to mediate between India and Pakistan for resolving the Kashmir issue.

She repeated the US position that the Kashmir issue had to be resolved peacefully by the two countries. "We have no desire to mediate," she told a group of parliamentarians in New Delhi.

Albright, who arrived here last night on a short visit to India, earlier met with Prime Minister I K Gujral, who also hosted a lunch in her honour. Albright later described the meeting with Gujral as being fruitful.

The issue of India's demand for a permanent seat in the United Nations security council was raised. Albright said she recognised that the security council should represent the world as it was. She also appreciated India's role in the UN.

Gujral raised the problem India faced due to cross-border terrorism aided by Pakistan and said he hoped the US would take follow-up action after putting the Harkat-ul-Ansar on its banned list of organisations.

Albright also had a meeting with President K R Narayanan for half-an-hour. She also had a very brief meeting with leader of the opposition A B Vajpayee.

She had to leave soon for Geneva to meet the Russian foreign minister who yesterday had met Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz over the stand-off over the UN inspection of nuclear installations in Iraq.

Officials described the hurried visit of the US secretary of state as a "new chapter in Indo-US relations." Her visit precedes those of the health and commerce secretaries and that of US President Bill Clinton to India next year.

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