WASHINGTON, Dec 23: The United States on Tuesday urged India and Pakistan to move forward on their commitments to reduce tension in South Asia.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan told a briefing that promoting peace in South Asia was “an important foreign policy priority” for President George Bush and he would continue to stay engaged in the process.

“There have been some welcome steps undertaken by the governments of Pakistan and India to reduce tensions in the region. We welcome those steps and we’ll continue having discussions with them,” Mr McClellan said.

He said it was important for both India and Pakistan to “continue to have dialogue and move forward on those commitments to reduce tension in the region.”

US officials also have welcomed the holding of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation’s summit next month and said it would be a good opportunity for India and Pakistan to build peace and discuss their disputes.

Both the state department and the White House, however, say it is too early to predict if the summit will lead to the resumption of dialogue between the two countries.