United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will head to Asia for a eight-day visit starting on July 27. The tour will take him to India, Pakistan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Briefing reporters about Powell's coming visit last week, StateDepartment spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States has important relations in Asia that are "vital" to its economic, political, diplomatic future, as well as its security interests.
Boucher said the secretary had wanted to make a trip to the region for a long time because there are immediate and pressing issues over the fight against terrorism throughout the region.
"The secretary's been working and very interested in the situation in India and Pakistan," said Boucher. He added that South Asia tension remains a prime issue for Washington and Powellwants to further discuss the issue with leaders of the two countries.
Boucher's comment basically summarized the major agendas for Powell's Asian trip: strengthening anti-terror cooperation, promoting US strategic interests and further easing the tensions between India and Pakistan, analysts say.
The top agenda, needless to say, is to seek closer cooperation with the Asian nations in the US-led global war against terrorism,which has dominated US foreign policy since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001.
Almost all the eight countries have provided anti-terror cooperation for the US in one way or another. In South Asia, Pakistan is of particular significance for the US in sustaining its war efforts in Afghanistan and hunting down Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives who have reportedly fled into the tribal regions in northeastern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan.
In Southeast Asia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore havebeen cooperating with Washington to fight terrorism. Moreover, the region also boasts two of the most important Muslim countries in the world -- Indonesia and Malaysia.
In terms of strategic interests, Asia has gained increasing US attention following the end of the Cold War. In a historical adjustment to its foreign policy, the Bush administration announced last year that it had decided to shift its strategic focus from Europe to Asia to deal with its growing political, economic and security interests in the region.
Despite his busy agenda at home in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, US President George W. Bush went ahead with a scheduled trip to Japan, South Korea and China last October. Powell had also visited Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Australia and South Asia after he became secretary of state.
By adding some major Southeast Asian countries into Powell's itinerary, the Bush administration could well balance US intereststhroughout Asia. During his stay in Brunei, Powell will attend theannual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, which Washington regards as an important frameworkto promote US security interests in Asia.
His third trip to South Asia can largely contribute to lingering tensions between India and Pakistan which had once edgeddangerously towards the brink of a nuclear confrontation only a few weeks ago.
Although the tensions between the two rival countries have reduced substantially after hectic international diplomacy, the Bush administration remains wary of the massive military buildup along the India-Pakistan borders and repeatedly cautions that thedispute over Kashmir could spiral out of control at any time and thus warrant further US mediation.
For Washington, an escalation of tension between India and Pakistan will not only pose serious threats to regional stability,but also jeopardize the ongoing US efforts to pursue Taliban and al-Qaeda fugitives.
Powell said last Thursday on National Public Radio that he had much more on his agenda with Pakistan and India than just the current crisis between the two countries.
"We will certainly have discussions, I'm sure, in both India and Pakistan with respect to the current situation," Powell said.
"But I also want to talk to the Indians and Pakistanis about the broader US agenda with respect to each of those countries," hesaid.
Despite his multiple agendas, however, Powell is expected to focus more on general coordination or cooperation, and mediation in the case of South Asia, than concrete results or agreements, analysts say.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2002)
