ISLAMABAD, June 6: President Gen Pervez Musharraf presided over a meeting here on Thursday which discussed the latest situation obtaining in the region with special reference to his meeting with the visiting US Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage.

The president termed his meeting with the US deputy secretary of state “very good” and said that the Bush administration was taking a lot of interest in defusing tension between Pakistan and India.

He informed the participants of the meeting that Mr Armitage appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to de-escalate the situation. The president told the US official that while Pakistan was cooperating with the international community to defuse tension in the region, India was just unprepared to accept any thing to come to terms.

Sources said that the president also briefed the meeting about the recently-concluded Conference in Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Almaty.

The president said that Pakistan’s point of view was well taken at Almaty and the world community today better understood Pakistan’s point of view on various issues in relation with India.

He said that he did not see chances of war with India. But, he said, Pakistan’s forces were fully alert to meet any eventuality.

The meeting was attended by foreign minister, finance minister, vice chief of the army staff, secretary foreign affairs and some other senior civil and military officials.