KARACHI ( 2008-03-27 20:55:44 ) :
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said on Thursday there were no single solution to militancy in the tribal areas and stressed that the problem would require a combination of measures.
Negroponte however opposed talks with militants who could not be persuaded to renounce violence in the region bordering Afghanistan.
"Security measures obviously are necessary when one is dealing with irreconcilable elements who want to destroy our very way of life," he told reporters in Karachi.
"You cannot talk with those kinds of people. On the other hand there are reconcilable elements in any of these situations who hopefully can be persuaded to participate in the democratic political process," he said.
"The common ground that we have in discussing the issue of how to deal with violent extremism in this country or elsewhere where it occurs in the world is that it calls for a multi-faceted approach, there is no single solution."
Asked if the purpose of his visit is to rescue President Pervez Musharraf, Negroponte said it was for the political process in Pakistan to decide the future of Musharraf.
"As far as Musharraf's status, he is the President of the country. We met with him in that capacity and any debate or disposition with regard to his status is of course something that is to be addressed by (the) Pakistani political process."
He said the US would "certainly respect what is decided in that regard."
Negroponte reaffirmed the United States' commitment to the people and stressed there was no hidden agenda behind his visit to Pakistan.
Political observers say the US visit was designed to woo the new government and smooth its relations with Musharraf amid fears that instability in the nation will hurt efforts to tackle militancy.
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