The US has categorically ruled out involving itself in the Kashmir issue but expressed desire to help India and Pakistan build more trust and confidence, hours after favouring use of "constructive diplomacy" with the two countries to ease tensions between them.
"Kashmir is a separate issue," National Security Adviser General James Jones told foreign correspondents at a briefing here yesterday.
He was responding to a question from a Pakistani journalist, who wanted to know if the US would address the issue of Kashmir in the context of the latest statement from President Barack Obama about indulging into constructive diplomacy between the two countries.
"We don't intend to get involved in that (Kashmir) issue, but we do intend to help both countries ... Build more trust and confidence so that Pakistan can address the issues that it confronts on the western side of the nation," Jones said.
"...We think that the times are so serious that we need to build the trust and confidence in the region," Jones maintained.
Earlier in the day, Obama favoured using constructive diplomacy with India and Pakistan so as to reduce tensions between the neighbours.
"To lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations that too often teeter on the edge of escalation and confrontation, we must pursue constructive diplomacy with both India and Pakistan," Obama said while announcing his new policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.