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The incoming Barack Obama administration is likely to appoint veteran troubleshooter Richard C Holbrooke as a special envoy to Pakistan and India amid tensions in the sub-continent following the Mumbai terrorist strikes.
Obama's Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton may name Holbrooke, a longtime diplomat who brokered the Dayton accord that brought peace to Bosnia, as the special envoy. According to New York Times people close to the decision have revealed this.
The media report comes even as a Congressional report warns that the fallout from the Mumbai terrorist attacks could further complicate the US policy in South Asia.
According to the Congressional report, released on Wednesday (7th January) the administration of President-elect Barack Obama may seek to increase US diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving conflict between these two countries.
It cautioned that the incoming administration should stay away from any "high-visibility" focus on Kashmir issue as it would likely evoke Indian resistance and risk fuelling Pakistani expectations of a settlement favoring Islamabad.
The Times also reported that Hillary Clinton will keep respected career diplomat William J Burns, who was the pointsman of the Bush Administration on the Indo-US nuclear deal, as the Under Secretary for Political Affairs.
