U.S. May Hurt India-Pakistan Peace Efforts

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The United States could hurt peace efforts between India and Pakistan by offering civilian nuclear aid to New Delhi and opposing a planned Iranian gas pipeline crossing the subcontinent, analysts say.
Officials from India, Pakistan and Iran were meeting in Tehran on Wednesday to discuss the multibillion-dollar pipeline which has the potential to forge a lasting link between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars.

Analysts say U.S. opposition to the pipeline is aimed at curbing Iran, which Washington says is trying to build nuclear weapons, while the U.S. offer of nuclear aid to India reflects an effort to offset China's growing power in Asia.
But both policies could undermine peace efforts between India and Pakistan, which have rapidly rising needs for energy, the local and international experts said.

It also signals that Washington places its interests in the region above those of sovereign governments, they said.
``This shows the extreme contradictions of the American policy in the region and indicates that it is only looking after its own national interests, which are completely contrary to the interests of other countries,'' said Talat Masood, a former Pakistani general and political analyst. President Bush announced in India this month that America would supply the Asian giant's civilian nuclear program with atomic energy and fuel.

The deal flies in the face of decades of American anti-proliferation policy that has rejected providing atomic aid to countries - like India - thas the same deal, but has instead been given an American cold shoulder, with Bush saying the two countries have ``different needs and different histories.'' Washington has, however, promised to help promote coal, hydroelectric, solar and wind energy here.

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