Commenting on a statement made by US Joint Chief of Staff chairman, Mike Mullen, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke said that United States will applaud and encourage better relations between the two countries but will refrain from any intervention.

Holbrooke made it clear that there was need to reduce tension and improve relations between two countries but US was not going to act as an intermediary to resolve the vexed issue of Kashmir. He also agreed that India has specific security concerns in the region as it was one of the largest countries in the area.