Iran is playing ‘double game’ in Afghanistan: Gates

October 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has clearly told Pakistan that America will not leave the Afghanistan war midway despite the ongoing strategy review of Washington's policies in the region. "I had lunch with the Pakistani ambassador last week, and I made absolutely clear to him: we are not leaving Afghanistan," CNN quoted Gates as saying.

October 5th, 2009 Gates: Military will fall in line on AfghanistanWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the U.S. military will not hesitate in carrying out whatever mission President Barack Obama decides on in Afghanistan.

October 5th, 2009 Cabinet secretaries: Iran talks a limited successWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton say last week's historic joint talks with Iran were a limited success. Clinton says the session in Geneva yielded three agreements that buy time for the U.S.

September 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - U S Defense Secretary Robert Gates has claimed that Iran has every intention of developing nuclear weapons. In an interview with ABC aired Sunday, Gates added that "the question of whether they have made a formal decision to move towards the development of nuclear weapons is in doubt." "This is part of a pattern of deception and lies on the part of the Iranians from the very beginning with respect to their nuclear program," he said.

August 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said there is a possibility of an increased American military presence in Afghanistan, but warned that such a move would stretch military resources and could lead to a possible Afghan backlash.

July 27th, 2009 US defense chief vows new sanctions if Iran balksAMMAN, Jordan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States will seek much tougher United Nations sanctions on Iran if that nation spurns the offer of talks on its disputed nuclear program.

July 6th, 2009 LAHORE - British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said that the Pakistan Army and the ISI should stop their double game of supporting militants against India and then clamping down when pressurised to act. Asked whether the Pakistan Army and ISI were still playing a double game - sometimes supporting the militants for use against India and clamping down on them and whether this vicious cycle has been broken, Miliband replied, "This cycle has to be stopped." Miliband said Pakistan's national security was not threatened by India, but by terrorism and extremism, adding that India had better things to do as a major power than be involved in a standoff with Pakistan.

May 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the momentum in Afghanistan is with the Taliban, who are inflicting heavy American casualties and hold de facto control of parts of the country. Gates further said American public support for the Afghan war would dissipate in less than a year unless the Obama Administration achieves "a perceptible shift in momentum." The Wall Street Journal quoted Gates as saying that the Obama Administration is rapidly running out of time to turn around the war.

May 19th, 2009 LAHORE - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has said the Pakistan Army is capable of neutralising the Taliban, but is maintaining contacts with the terror outfit as they are not sure who is going to win in Afghanistan. He said it was up to Pakistan to clear the Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists out.

May 8th, 2009 Gates: US troops won't be sent to PakistanCAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there are no plans to deploy U.S.

May 5th, 2009 CAIRO - US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates, speaking to reporters here Tuesday, sought to reassure US allies in the Middle East over Washington's overtures to Iran. Fears among US allies in the region of a 'grand bargain' between the US and Iran were 'completely unrealistic', Gates told reporters after meeting Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in Cairo Tuesday.

May 5th, 2009 Gates: 'No grand bargain' with TehranCAIRO, Egypt — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday there is "no grand bargain" with Iran as the United States tries to bolster relations with the Tehran government. Asked by reporters what kind of progress the U.S.

May 5th, 2009 Gates: US will keep allies in loop on Iran effortsCAIRO, Egypt — Defense Secretary Robert Gates tried to reassure Mideast allies Tuesday that the United States will keep them informed as it tries to reconcile with Iran. The U.S., which wants Iran to halt its nuclear program, is still waiting to see how the Iranians respond to President Barack Obama's outreach, Gates said, adding that so far the rhetoric from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been "not very encouraging." "We're not willing to pull the hand back yet because we think there's still some opportunity," the Pentagon chief said.

April 30th, 2009 Officials downplay military options vs IranWASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the military option for forcing Iran to halt its nuclear program would be just temporary and ineffective and that sanctions make more sense. Gates told Senate appropriators Thursday that a military attack on Iran would merely send that country's nuclear program further underground.

March 27th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Diplomats from the NATO and Iran held their first talks in 30 years here, focusing on possible cooperation on Afghanistan, an official said here. An Iranian diplomat met NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Martin Erdmann, the alliance's spokesman James Appathurai told reporters.