May 18, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1423

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WASHINGTON, May 17: The United States remains concerned about the increase in tensions between Pakistan and India and is looking at how it can contribute in some way to lessening these tensions.

In this context, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher also pointed out at his afternoon briefing on Friday that Secretary of State Colin Powell had been in touch both last week and again this week with General Pervez Musharraf and Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh.

Mr Boucher was non-committal on reports earlier on Friday that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage might be travelling to the region within the next two weeks or so.

DANIEL PEARL: On the Daniel Pearl case, Mr Boucher said personnel from the US consulate in Karachi were present at the site when the remains said to be of the murdered American journalist were uncovered. If it was established through forensic tests that the remains were in fact of Daniel Pearl, then that, Mr Boucher said, could help bring the culprits to justice.