Holbrooke says not working on Kashmir issue

I / Washington December 16, 2009, 15:21 IST

Making it clear that he is not working on the Kashmir problem, US special envoy for Af-Pak Richard Holbrooke has insisted that his mandate does not cover the issue, though he keeps India closely informed about his effort in the region where the country is a "hugely important factor".

The Kashmir issue is neither his mandate, nor the countries in the region expect him to do, Holbrooke said at a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington- based think tank, in response to a question.

"Let me be very clear. I am not working on that (Kashmir) problem," Holbrooke said when asked about the issue and the need for US to mediate on it.

"I don't even mention the problem I am not working on. That's a game when I go to India - and I go to India frequently and I look forward to going back soon because we keep the Indians very closely informed of our effort because India is hugely important factor here," Holbrooke said.

The special US representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan said he would be visiting the region next month.

He has not been to India since June. However, he had several meetings with top Indian officials both here and in New York during the UN General Assembly session and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to the US in November.