NEW YORK, Sept 15: President Bush’s National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, on Sunday asserted the US attack on Iraq would not precipitate crisis in South Asia, saying that the United States is pressing India to begin talks with Pakistan over the Kashmir dispute.

Appearing on ABC news programme “This Week’, Ms Rice said: “We have asked President Musharraf to de-escalate tensions along the Line of Control,” and insisted that US and the international community’s efforts to bring about a settlement in the dispute would continue.

Appearing on the “Fox News Sunday” programme, Ms Rice said US officials were eager to question Ramzi bin Al-Shaiba, a key Al Qaeda operative, to determine what he knew about last year’s attacks on America that killed more than 3,000 people.

“We certainly want his,” said Rice.

Al-Shaiba, who was arrested in Karachi on the anniversary of the attacks, is accused of helping to plan. He reportedly had hoped to become the 20th hijacker and roomed with Sept 11 mastermind Mohammed Atta.

He is also wanted by Germany for his alleged role in the hijacked airliner attacks and is one of the most important Al Qaeda members, most of whom have been taken into custody in the past year.

“We certainly want to be able to find out what he knows,” Rice said, adding that the United States would “work with the Pakistani officials” to obtain his custody.

Rice also called the arrest a key success in the US war on terrorism.

“The president said to the American people that this was going to be a war that was going to be fought on many fronts, that law enforcement was going to be as important, if not more important, than what we did militarily in Afghanistan,” Rice said. “We’re now seeing that phase play out.”