US President George W. Bush's envoy has urged India's prime minister to find a peaceful solution to the standoff with Pakistan during talks in New Delhi.
The US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Richard Armitage, said tensions appear to be easing following his meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He met the Pakistani leadership in Islamabad yesterday.
"Tensions are a little bit down," Mr Armitage said. "I feel very good about the discussions in India. If tensions are high, there is always a risk of war. Until that situation is changed, there will be the risk."
Mr Armitage is trying to secure a commitment from India to an international monitoring force operating on the border of Kashmir. Pakistan has already agreed to the idea in principal.
In Britain The London Timesnewspaper quoted British Defence Minister Mr Geoff Hoon saying the plan, which would see up to 500 foreign troops deployed in Kashmir, had been put to both India and Pakistan.
Pakistan has already said it backs the deployment of international monitors and, according to newspaper while India was "not yet wholly persuaded", it had not rejected the idea out of hand.
World leaders have reacted positively to Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf’s promise to clamp down on militants using Pakistan-administered Kashmir as a springboard for raids into Indian territory.
But India, which suffered major attacks on its parliament in December and on an army camp last month, says Gen Musharraf's promises in the past have proven hollow and has demanded a verification process before it will begin pulling its troops back from the borders.
AFP