US to use ties with India, China for S Asia peace

The Bush administration has said it would utilise its growing relationship with India and China to ensure peace and stability in South Asian countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka.

"We will continue to work on the ground in South Asia with our friends and allies, through international fora such as the Co-Chairs group in Sri Lanka, and through the outreach programmes of our Embassies in Kathmandu and Colombo to help the people there overcome the considerable obstacles on their path to peace and prosperity," Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Don Camp said.

"A Maoist takeover in Nepal would almost certainly lead to instability in a region of great importance to the United States. Nepal nestles between China and India, the two fastest growing economies in the world."

"Our ability to advance our relationships with these two emerging powers will go far in determining the success of US foreign policy in the coming decades," Camp told the Asia Pacific Sub-Committee of the House International Relations Committee.

"We believe that reconciliation between the King and the political parties, and a return to democracy is the only path towards an effective counter-insurgency strategy and the restoration of security, government services, exercise of political rights, and respect for human rights.