Ceasefire an opportunity to resolve issues: State Dept

ISLAMABAD:

The State Department said on Thursday that the US "involvement and assistance" in the recent conflict between India and Pakistan made a difference in stopping the conflagration, leading to a ceasefire on May 10.

State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce told a media briefing in Washington that there was a commitment to the ceasefire, and that it offered an opportunity for both sides to resolve their long-term problems.

"We all know that," she gave a short reply, when a journalist mentioned the killing of tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

"I understand your point and what has been a generational concern about violence and terrorism in that region," she said.

"With the troubles between India and Pakistan — is that there is a ceasefire. Obviously we know — very close to full-scale war erupting, and what's very exciting and heartening is that America's involvement and assistance made a difference in that stopping and a ceasefire that has continued," she continued.

"But of course, within that one expects, as the world noticed, again, that that has not been resolved, that the potential of having these long-term problems resolved has returned. And it is an opportunity, and the good news is - is that unlike some other regions, there has been a commitment to a ceasefire."