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BEIJING - The United States has suspended annual defence talks with Pakistan because of the political situation there, the Pentagon's spokesman said here Monday.
Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defence for policy, was supposed to head a US delegation to the two-day talks scheduled to open Tuesday, but will not go until political conditions improve, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said.
"These are important bilateral meetings that require an atmosphere in which all the issues can be discussed with the full attention of all participants," Morrell said.
"We hope to reschedule this meeting as soon as conditions are more conducive to achieve the important objectives at hand."
Morrell is travelling with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, who on Monday called for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to return his country to a constitutional democracy.
"We urge President Musharraf to return his country to a law-based, constitutional and democratic rule as soon as possible," Gates told reporters in Beijing.
Gates described the developments, in which Musharraf over the weekend declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution, as "disturbing".
But he emphasised that any US actions against Pakistan should have no impact on global efforts to fight terrorism.
"We are reviewing all our assistance programmes (to Pakistan), although we are mindful not to do anything that would undermine counter-terrorism efforts," said Gates, after a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan. - AFP/ir
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