US seeking India's help in resolving Afghan crisis: Holbrooke

Describing India as a “great power” that has a “critical” role in resolving the crisis in Afghanistan, special US envoy for the region Richard Holbrooke has said Washington consults New Delhi “closely every step of the way”.

Speaking at the Brussels Forum yesterday, he said India was “not part of the problem the way Pakistan is but they’re certainly a major factor in resolving” the situation in Afghanistan.

The Brussels Forum is an annual high-level meeting of the most influential political, corporate and intellectual leaders worldwide to address pressing challenges facing both sides of the Atlantic. Holbrooke said, “India, of course, is the great power of the region, the great emerging (power) in an international context and its views, its role are a critical factor. “And so we consult India closely every step of the way and on my first trip to the region I went to India,” the US special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan said.