US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell took his case for renewed dialogue between India and Pakistan to top Indian officials today, urging the nuclear rivals to stand down from their war footing over Kashmir.
Mr Powell, who arrived yesterday after talks in Islamabad, was discussing the situation with Prime Minister Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee's National Security Advisor Mr Brajesh Mishra, before seeing the premier himself.
"We are anxious to see a dialogue begin between India and Pakistan on all issues, to include Kashmir," Mr Powell said last night, echoing remarks he made a day earlier in Islamabad where he met Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to explore options to reduce tensions in South Asia.
But, he said it was up to New Delhi to decide whether Islamabad had done enough to warrant a change in its no-talks policy.
Mr Powell's visit is only one part of a greater diplomatic effort to cool the situation which US President George w. Bush and British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair discussed in phone call yesterday.
"Any time you talk about tension between two nuclear armed states it's a matter of great concern," White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said in Washington.
"So the president and secretary Powell have been working very vigilantly to help India and Pakistan to reduce the tensions. Prime Minister Blair has been a very helpful part of that," he said.
Also in Washington, US Defense Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld said he believed the current military buildup - in which some 800,000 troops are now massed on the border - was of deep concern.
"I do not believe it is in either of their country's interests to stay for long periods in a state of high mobilization," Mr Rumsfeld said after meeting Indian Defense Minister Mr George Fernandes at the Pentagon.
"I think it's unhelpful to them, its unhelpful to the world."
Mr Powell has been stressing that an agreement to resume dialogue would be a good step toward troop withdrawals but India has insisted it will only consider a dialogue after Pakistan has fulfilled President Musharraf's pledges to crack down on extremist groups.
AFP