May 8, 2003	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1424

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WASHINGTON, May 7: The White House has described the current move to improve relations between India and Pakistan as “a moment of great hope”.

Briefing journalists after Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali announced his confidence-building measures on Wednesday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said: “This is a moment of great hope between India and Pakistan. There has been marked progress, opening of diplomatic relations again, transportation routes are opening again, and discussions are beginning between India and Pakistan.”

But at the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher was more cautious. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” he warned. “I mean, certainly there’s a lot of good things going on and we welcome that, we’ve encouraged that, we’re working with them on that. But there’s certainly more things to do and more things that we’ll be talking to them about.”

Both Mr Fleischer and Mr Boucher said the United States continued to “take a strong interest” in reducing tensions in South Asia.