US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke does not have Kashmir on the agenda when he comes to India next week during a visit to the region and the focus will be on steps to ease the volatile situation in Afghanistan.
In his first visit to the region after being appointed by the Obama administration to work out strategies to deal with the volatile situation in Afghanistan and the Pak-Afghan border, Holbrooke during talks with Indian leaders would "listen," among other things, to New Delhi's point of view and its perspective on Kabul.
The issues to be discussed with Indian leaders during Holbrooke's trip, which is to cover India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, would remain confined to resolving the Afghan-Pak issue, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.
Kashmir is not on the agenda and would not be discussed, he told reporters on Wednesday.
When asked why Holbrooke is going to New Delhi, whereas India is not on his agenda, Wood said: "India is an important country in the region and has interest in Afghanistan."
Holbrooke wants to hear from the Indian government in terms of how it can better contribute to peace and stability in Afghanistan, he said.
The exact dates and schedule of Holbrook's trip to South Asia has not been announced because of security considerations.
Holbrooke, the spokesman said, had already left Washington for London--from where he would travel to Munich to participate in a security conference. From there he will head to Pakistan, Afghanistan and India, in that order.
Describing the nature of Holbrooke's trip to South Asia, Wood said: "In essence this is an orientation trip. He's not carrying any messages to any of these governments from either the Secretary (of State) or the (US) President. He's not going there to lecture. He's going there to listen."
Holbrooke would report to the secretary of state and the US president once he is back from the region.
