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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 10, 2002
Powell to Visit India, Pakistan and Japan
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to India and Pakistan next week in an effort to ease tensions between the South Asian rivals.
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U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will travel to
India
and
Pakistan
next week in an effort to ease tensions between the South Asian rivals.
Powell also will attend a conference of donor countries in
Japan
to discuss ways of assisting in the reconstruction of
Afghanistan
after more than two decades of warfare.
U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell will visit other South Asian countries when he is in the South Asian region. That raises the possibility of a Powell visit to Afghanistan, but Boucher would not give further details on Powell's itinerary.
In Islamabad and New Delhi, Powell will urge a reduction of tensions and discuss ways of improving international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Boucher said.
Tensions have been running high since a terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament building on Dec. 13. Pakistan has denied allegations by India that Pakistan was responsible for the attack.
Powell has made repeated phone calls to leaders of both countries in hopes of deescalating tensions. He called Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday and Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh on Wednesday, Boucher said.
Powell also was meeting Wednesday with Indian Home Minister Lal K. Advani, a top adviser to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on security issues.
Advani also has meetings planned with Attorney General John Ashcroft, National Security adviser Condoleezza Rice and other officials.
This will be Powell's second visit to India and Pakistan in four months. He made a hastily arranged trip to the two countries in mid-October to try to ease tensions stemming from a terrorist attack in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Oct. 1.
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