US to assist Siachen rescue efforts on Pakistan's request

The spokesperson of the US State Department, Victoria Nuland has said that the country is ready to assist Pakistan military in the search and rescue operation following the tragic avalanche that hit Siachen glacier and resulted in trapping 135 soldiers under it. She was responding to the questions of reporters during a briefing Monday.Pakistan requested for specialised help for search and rescue team from the US after Siachen avalanche tragedy, she informed adding that the US administration had already deputed eight members of the US military team from Kabul for this purpose. This team, she pointed out, was currently in Islamabad and had not headed to Siachen yet, as it was awaiting orders from Pakistani military on how their services could be best utilized.It is up to Pakistan how they want to use them, she said adding that the US government was ready to offer further assistance if needed. We are in discussions with Pakistan military and remain standby as to how best we can assist in search and rescue operation if needed beyond this point, she asserted in response to a question.When asked by a journalist as to how Pakistan had allowed the rescue team or even requested for it when the parliamentary review was still underway, she was non-committal and said that the US administration had responded to the Pakistani request.When asked if the US could play a role in bringing a lasting settlement to the Siachen conflict between India and Pakistan, she said that America was ready to play such a role in a supporting capacity. We are prepared to be supportive of diplomatic and political efforts for resolving all conflicts including Siachen between India and Pakistan, she observed.She, though, argued that it was up to both India and Pakistan to take the lead at bilateral level for resolving these issues through dialogue.The spokesperson also welcomed the recent meeting of Pakistani President Asif Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She termed it a good omen for the region and hoped that that these contacts will continue in future as well. Better relations between India and Pakistan are in the interest of millions of people in the region, she remarked.On a separate question, she refused to offer any comments on reports that a Pakistani lawyer, Shahzad Akbar, who is representing drone victims in Pakistani tribal areas, is not being issued a US visa to pursue the cases. I cant speak to individual visa cases, she categorically stated.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC