US Not Move Towards Sanctions: Rice

Last week Pakistan has agreed to work with India to construct a pipeline to pump Iranian gas to India via Pakistan. Reacting on that news, the United States said that it was sharing its feelings with Pakistan and India in a "constructive" manner and not in a "negative way".

"We have communicated our concerns to both Pakistan and India about this, but we have very positive relations with Pakistan and India," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters here yesterday.

She added that that was really "amazing? that the US have managed to have very positive relations with India that includes an increasing defence cooperation relationship, and very positive relationships with Pakistan that includes defence cooperation.

Asked whether it was fair to say that the US was not likely to move towards sanctions if India and Pakistan were to go ahead with the pipeline project, Rice said: "Well, I think we are sharing our concerns in a constructive way with them and not in a negative way."