Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=06/13/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-290884

TITLE=RUMSFELD/PAKISTAN (L-O)

BYLINE=NICK SIMEONE

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-S Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Pakistan for talks with President Pervez Musharraf. It is Mr. Rumsfelds's second stop on a trip to South Asia aimed at cooling tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir. VOA's Nick Simeone in Islamabad reports another area of discussion will be American concerns that al-Qaida fighters who fled neighboring Afghanistan may now be operating in Pakistan.

TEXT: Pakistan's President Musharraf has pledged to do everything he can to end attacks by Muslim militants into Indian-controlled Kashmir, a gesture India has acknowledged with reciprocal measures, including agreeing to return an ambassador to Islamabad for the first time in six months. Both countries still have troops massed along their common border and tensions remain high. But steps the two nuclear-armed nations have taken to pull back from the brink, appear to have eased the threat of all-out war.

However, U-S concerns do not end there. Secretary Rumsfeld told reporters in New Delhi Wednesday, he has seen indications that al-Qaida fighters are operating near the border dividing Indian and Pakistani-held regions of Kashmir. India believes al-Qaida is pursing terrorism in the disputed territory and makes the argument that the Indian military faces a situation similar to what the United States is facing with its war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Just what steps Pakistan can take to stamp out whatever al-Qaida elements might be active in Kashmir is expected to be high on the agenda, during Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's talks here with President Musharraf. (SIGNED)

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