WASHINGTON, May 28: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has urged the international community not to expect a breakthrough between India and Pakistan but to allow the peace process begun in January to settle their disputes steadily. "They have a plan as to how to go forward and deal with all their outstanding issues," said Mr Powell. "But it takes time and it isn't always a breakthrough."

While stressing that the resolution of outstanding disputes was "a steady ground game," Mr Powell indicated that the United States will stay engaged with the two South Asian nations in their effort to resolve their differences peacefully.

He said: "It's just sort of steady; it's a steady ground game. I have to play - I play the ground game." Mr Powell also indicated that China played a key role in preventing a possible war between India and Pakistan two years ago.

Talking to a group of print journalists in Washington earlier this week, Mr Powell said the United States enjoys "the best relationship with China," which helped it "stop a war between India and Pakistan in the summer of 2002."

"We were in constant touch with the Chinese foreign minister and Chinese leadership about this danger," said Mr Powell. In the interview, which was released by his office on Friday, the US secretary of state also credited Britain, Canada, France and the European Union for playing a key role in preventing an India-Pakistan conflict.

"My French colleague went there several times. My British colleague went there several times. My European Union colleague, Javier Solana, went there several times. The Canadians went there," said Mr Powell while explaining how the international community got involved in defusing the situation.

"It was international diplomacy led by the United States that went to the task of talking to these two nations," said Mr Powell, adding "I went there several times." The US secretary of state said: "Almost two years ago, a million Indians marched to the border, and everybody was writing about the possibility of war between India and Pakistan."

"There was a great deal of discussion and commentary about these two nuclear powers that were this far apart along the international border and the line of control of Kashmir. There was a great deal of concern," he added.

The efforts of the international community, he said, were "able to bring caution and prudence to the equation" and found a way for the situation to be defused. The US, he said, worked with the world community "in an international framework" and succeeded in persuading the Indians and Pakistanis that they should start talking to one another again.