ISLAMABAD, May 15: The US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca on Wednesday said the United States would continue to urge both Pakistan and India for holding talks to resolve all outstanding issues including Kashmir.

“Ultimately nothing could be resolved without dialogue,” Mrs Rocca told a press conference after her meeting with President Musharraf at Aiwan-i-Sadar. Her meeting with the president lasted more than the allotted time and consequently her press conference delayed for over an hour.

Although Mrs Rocca after having met with leaders in New Delhi and Islamabad expressed hope that the tension would defuse between the two South Asian neighbours, a note of pessimism was visible in her tone that anything positive would come through in the immediate future.

Mrs Rocca declined to characterize her visit to the South Asia as a failure or success saying that the tension, in the region had been going on for the past several months. “I don’t think it is work of one trip,” she added.

When asked to comment on rather strong statements emanating from New Delhi in the wake of her visit, she said, the US had been urging the two sides to reduce the rhetoric and take whatever steps possible to defuse the tension. She did not offer any comment on a statement by Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh saying that India would not withdraw its forces.

The US assistant secretary of state who has to her credit a number of amendments including the one, which waived sanctions on India and Pakistan dispelled an impression that the US attention on the region had been distracted by other international events.

She said that the present US administration was very much focused on the “problem” in South Asia.

On a question whether the US had put forth any political plan for getting the two sides to direct conversation, she refused to go into specific details saying that they had been holding very open and frank discussion with the two sides.

As regard the issue of bilateral talks, she said, it had been the US policy since the very beginning that the two sides should talk to each other.

On another question whether the issue of cross border terrorism came up for discussion in her talks with President Musharraf and as to what was president’s response on the issue, she said in her discussions in both the capitals all the concerning issues were taken up.

“Both countries have good relations with the United States and both countries are important to the United States and we hope they would be able to defuse the tension,” she added.

About the US-Pakistan cooperation in the war against terrorism, she said, they had been working very well and the US was grateful to the government of Pakistan for the assistance it had provided since Sept 11.

She expressed her ignorance about the reports that the US had sought an air-corridor in the Northern areas for carrying out operation against Al Qaeda members.

APP adds: Mrs Rocca who arrived in Islamabad earlier in the day, has undertaken an immediate visit to the region in view of the growing tension generated by the continued concentration of troops on the borders which started with the Indian deployment of troops last December.

After her arrival, she called on the foreign secretary and the foreign minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was received by the President.

The president welcomed the continued US engagement in the situation in the region and in particular the efforts of President George Bush and Secretary Colin Powell for de-escalation and the resumption of the Pakistan-India dialogue.

The importance of immediate de-escalation, return of troops to peacetime locations and resumption of dialogue was stressed.

Bilateral relations were reviewed and both sides expressed their satisfaction.