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Arms embargo on

Afghanistan

worth considerng,

says Raphel

ISLAMABAD: US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robin Raphel Sunday said the idea of imposing arms sanctions on Afghanistan for bringing peace to the strife-torn country deserves consideration.

Regarding Pakistan's suggestion that monitors be drawn from OIC and ECO to ensure that no arms are supplied to Afghan groups she said it was a suggestion worth considering

She said the humanitarian concern and the development of economic potential had heightened the US interest in Afghanistan.

She said that an American company was interested in building a pipeline from Turkmenistan through to Pakistan, and added that at some stage the pipeline might go onto India and promote commercial ties between most of the countries

In Kabul she held talks with President Rabbani, Commander Masood and with Taliban leaders in Qandhar.

Her visit to the region will also take her to Ashqabad, Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Moscow.

She said, the US believes that "at the end of the day" the Afghan leaders would find some sort of formula that was acceptable to the majority of Afghans.

KASHMIR

Raphel has said that US is willing to play mediatory role in Pakistan-India dialogue on Kashmir issue if both sides agree to it.

In an interview with PTV's `Sawere Sawere' programme she said, "we always offered our help to resolve the issue but Indian side has not welcomed more active international role or more active US role. But we consider ourselves friends of both countries and if there something we can usefully do, we stand ready to do so".

CTBT

Robin Raphel Sunday said America had urged Pakistan to "consider carefully to its full range interests" in linking its position on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) with that of India.

"I think conceptually it is important for Pakistan not to be on automatic pilot. "If India does not sign, we cannot sign it" is more complex issue than that and we hope and trust Pakistan will think it true in all its many aspects.

"We would like everybody to sign the CTBT- we would want India to sign even if Pakistan does not sign we would like Pakistan to sign even if India does not sign."

Asked whether the US will make Israel sign the CTBT she said "We will think about it".

The US Assistan Secretary of State said, "We have made no determination on the issue of ring magnets, it is a very complex issue much of it has to do with China and that is something which the President and the Secreatary are wtill studying."

The release of the equipment worth 368 million US dollars under the Brown Amendment will be under way.

About Kashmir she said, the Indians are having elections and they are having a new government which will provide a good opportunity for India and Pakistan to wipe the slate clean, turn over a new page -I think it is good opportunity for Pakistan to make gesture to a new government.-APP