WASHINGTON, June 13: Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh has said that he is in favour of 'broadening and deepening' India's relations with Pakistan.

Mr Singh, who was in Washington to attend President Reagan's funeral, made these remarks at a meeting with a Pakistani delegation and earlier at a press conference for the Washington-based Indian journalists.

"We should try to forget the bitterness of the past and try to build a prosperous future for our two nations," said Asharaf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistan's ambassador to the United Sates, when asked what was the Indian foreign minister's message for Pakistan.

"He definitely wants close friendly relations between the two countries and believes that improved bilateral ties will bring political stability and economic prosperity to the entire region," said Mr Qazi.

Earlier, Mr Singh told a briefing in Washington that he discussed the situation in Pakistan and the India-Pakistan peace process with US Secretary of State Colin Powell when he met him earlier this week.

Mr Singh said India would continue the dialogue with Pakistan and would "follow a consistent, steady policy towards Islamabad." The Shimla agreement, the bilateral statement issued in Lahore in 1999 and the understanding reached in Islamabad in January 2004 will form the basis of the bilateral talks the new Indian government plans to hold with Pakistan, Mr Singh said.

Meanwhile, the Indian foreign minister ruled out the possibility of sending Indian troops to Iraq. His earlier statement that India may reconsider its decision of not sending troops to Iraq created a major controversy in India.

Both the opposition and members of the ruling coalition criticized him for indicating a change in India's policy without consulting parliament. "The question of sending Indian troops to Iraq does not arise," he said, adding that the earlier decision reflected a national consensus on the issue and was endorsed by parliament.