US never asked India to scale down in Afghanistan: sources

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Contrary to speculation, the US has not asked India to scale down its presence in Afghanistan and is closely cooperating on AfPak issues, government sources said here.

The US has never asked the Indian government to reduce its presence in Afghanistan, the sources said Friday, a day after India and the US held talks to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

US intelligence chief Dennis Blair and US ambassador Timothy J. Roemer met Home Minister P. Chidambaram here Thursday to discuss counter-terror cooperation and the threat from the Taliban to the region.

Rebutting reports of divergences between India and the US over integrating the Taliban into the mainstream in Afghanistan, the sources clarified that India was opposed to reconciliation with its overtones of power-sharing. It
had no problems with Kabul's plan of reintegration of those amongst the Taliban who want to renounce violence and abide by the constitution.

The Taliban reintegration plan was endorsed at the Jan 28 London conference by around 70 countries including India.

The situation in Afghanistan will figure prominently in discussions between US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake and officials of the external affairs Friday and Saturday.

Issues relating to Afghanistan came up for discussions between Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and key figures of the Obama administration, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Washington this week. Rao said after the talks that the US "fully recognises" India's role in Afghanistan.

Making it clear that India will not be scaling down its operations in Afghanistan, Rao said: "The US fully recognises that India has legitimate interests in Afghanistan.

"It appreciates we are a force of stability and moderation in our region. We are not scaling down in Afghanistan."

Undeterred by the Feb 26 terror strike in Kabul that killed seven Indians, India has reiterated its resolve to continue its multifarious reconstruction work in Afghanistan.

Admitting that there were serious concerns about the security of over 3,500 Indians in Afghanistan, the sources said that the Indian government had reviewed the security situation and was in touch with the Afghan government.

"There is no change in strategy. We have a purely developmental partnership with Afghanistan and that will continue," an official said.