'That's What We've Been Working For'

Revelant excerpts from the daily press briefing, June 11,2002

Question: India-Pakistan? Yesterday, India opened its airspace, and I guess wascontemplating sending an ambassador back to Islamabad. Do you know whether they have infact decided to do that?

Richard Boucher: I think they have named somebody to be their high commissioner, orthat -- high commissioner is the same as ambassador for commonwealth countries.

Question: Okay.

Richard Boucher: I'm sorry, the reports that a new Indian High Commissioner toIslamabad will soon be named, so maybe he hasn't quite been named yet.

There are also announcements now, the pullback of Indian naval forces from the northArabian Sea. So we're encouraged by these steps. These are steps to lessen the tensions.That's what we've been working for. The Deputy Secretary was just out there working withthe Indians on these steps that have also been discussed in telephone calls between theSecretary and Indian and Pakistani leaders.

As the Deputy Secretary points out, though, while things may be on the right course,there has to be constant international vigilance to make sure that this course ismaintained. And so Secretary Rumsfeld arrives in New Delhi today for talks with Indianofficials, and he'll follow that later this week with a visit to Islamabad.

Our diplomatic efforts are in coordination with the international community to defusetension between India and Pakistan. As I said yesterday, the crisis, though it shows signsof abating, is not yet over. And large numbers of troops remain mobilized, and extremistsare still trying to provoke a conflict by further attacks. It is a matter of closecoordination with any number of allies, including today with the Australian Government.