July 26, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15,1423

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

WASHINGTON, July 25: US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said on Thursday that there has been a reduction in infiltrations across the line of control in Kashmir but unfortunately “terrorist violence” has continued.

Talking to reporters outside the state department with the visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, Powell said he was going to India and Pakistan to review America’s bilateral relations with those two countries but “I will also talk about the current tension in the region.”

Powell leaves for South Asia Friday on a two-day visit, arriving first in New Delhi and then flying over to Islamabad on Sunday for talks with Pakistani leaders.

“There has been some reduction in infiltrations across the line of control, but it is still unfortunately the case that there is violence. There is terrorist violence that takes place,” he added.

In June this year, the United States solicited a pledge from Pakistan that it will permanently stop cross-border attacks by Kashmiri militants into Indian-held Kashmir.

Pakistan says it has stopped the infiltrations, but India complaints that Islamabad has failed to fulfil its pledge.

In May this year, South Asia’s two nuclear neighbours appeared close to yet another war. Although the situation has improved since then, more than million troops still face each other across the tense border.

Powell said as secretary of state it was important for him to “regularly travel to those two very important countries to review the state of our relations.”

He said that in his conversations with Indian and Pakistani leaders he would “see if there are any other actions that can be taken that will reduce the level of violence or the potential for violence.