US reviewing Bush regime’s foreign policies

The US has said it is reviewing all major foreign policies pursued by the previous Bush administration but the pacts signed with other countries will remain intact.

The US has said it is reviewing all major foreign policies pursued by the previous Bush administration but the pacts signed with other countries will remain intact,indicating that the historic nuclear deal with India will not be affected.

“It is fair to say that all of the major parts of American foreign policy are currently under review,” State Department Deputy Acting Spokesman Gordon Duguid said.

However,those reviews,he stressed,”do not affect” commitments made by the US in international fora or by international agreements.

The nuclear deal,which was initiated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then US President George W Bush in 2005,was signed in October 2008 after it was approved by the Congress.

“We are looking at the effectiveness of our policies and how we can better achieve our goals,” he said. Most of the goals of the US policies have not changed,either,he said.

“We are looking for a denuclearised Korean Peninsula. We are looking for democratic reform and the establishment of representative government in Burma.

“We are looking for an end to the violence in Darfur. We are looking for a two-state solution to the problems between Israel and the Palestinians,” Duguid said.

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Emphasising that the ultimate goals that have been consistent over time for the United States remain the same,the spokesman said: “The Administration is looking how best we can move forward to try and achieve those goals.”

He said: “I think that is a normal process for a new administration. So the answer is yes,most of the policies are there to be reviewed by the new Administration to look for effectiveness and to achieve results.”

Responding to a question,Duguid said there are timelines for different reviews. “As you know,the review policy on Afghanistan has a 60-day timeline,and that is in process; it has begun,” he said.