US should forge counter-terrorism ties with India: Huntsman

WASHINGTON:The US should forge closer counter-terrorism ties with India to respond to threats posed by al-Qaeda and other terrorist cells operating from countries like Pakistan and Yemen, a key Republican presidential hopeful has said.

Calling for a reassessment of America's relationship with Pakistan, Jon Huntsman, a former ambassador to China under the Obama administration, said "certain realities" with Pakistan had to be recognised.

"This is not a relationship based on shared values," he said in a speech at Southern New Hampshire University.

"It is transactional at best," former governor of Utah was quoted as saying by the leading Congressional paper, The Hill.

Huntsman said America should forge stronger ties with India as it would also help US counter-terrorism interests through better intelligence gathering.

"I think a stronger relationship with India would allow us to gain that understanding," Huntsman said in response to a post-speech question.

Huntsman said his foreign policy would rely on a streamlined American military better equipped for counter-terrorism than Cold War-era conflicts.

"We still have remnants of a top-heavy, post-Cold War infrastructure. It needs to be transformed to reflect the 21st Century world, and the growing asymmetric threats we face," Huntsman said.

"For example, counter-terrorism needs to be a much larger part of our foreign policy. We must be prepared to respond to threats -- from Al Qaeda and other terrorist cells -- that emanate from a much more diverse geography, including Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Pakistan and the Asia-Pacific," he noted.

On Iran, Huntsman said he would consider using force to prevent a nuclear-capable Iran.

"I cannot live with a nuclear-armed Iran. If you want an example of when I would consider the use of American force, it would be that," Huntsman said.