ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: A nine-member bipartisan delegation of US Senators on Tuesday said President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s address to the nation in a few days time would defuse the tensions between Pakistan and India.

The delegation, which called on President Musharraf on Tuesday afternoon, later told reporters that the president would announce “bold, principled and fresh” measures in his address to the nation.

“These will be so bold, principled and fresh that they will elicit a response from the Indian government,” Senator John McCain said at the joint press conference.

He hoped that after the pronouncements of President Musharraf, both Pakistan and India, friends and allies of the United States, would move some of there troops away from the borders.

He said that the proximity of over a million soldiers of both these countries was a very serious matter for the people of this region and the world.

“So long as they are there with tension high, there is always a possibility of an accident or there is a possibility of someone, who wants to inflame tension, taking some action,” he said.

On a question whether the speech would bring about a dramatic change, another member of the group remarked that he left the meeting with an impression that it would change the history of this country. He said President Musharraf was confident that Pakistan could emerge as a moderate, tolerant and modern nation with majority of Muslim population.

The speech that President Musharraf would make within the next few days would be critical and lead to de-escalation of tensions in the region, he added.

“It will perhaps open an entire new chapter in the history of relations between the two countries,” he said.

When asked whether the measures likely to be announced by the President would change Pakistan’s position on Kashmir, Mr McCain said his impression was that the president was thinking very serious and fresh initiatives.

“He (President Musharraf) is in search of initiatives that will not only reduce the tensions but will also begin a whole new chapter on Kashmir dispute,” he said, adding that they wished him well.

On a question about third-party mediation for resolving the issue of Kashmir, he said the “mediating presence” was necessary, adding that “I am worried that without mediation progress will not occur.” Concerning the belligerent attitude of Indian leadership, he said we appreciate the sense of anger the Indians had over the attacks on two parliaments. He hoped that Indian leadership would consider the measures taken by President Musharraf, including arrest of extremists and freezing of their assets.

He said the Indian leaders would listen carefully to President Musharraf’s word in the next few days and they would certainly find something there which would lead them to a negotiating table.

Mr McCain said it would also help them remove some of the troops from the borders.

When asked about his comments on a statement by Indian leaders that steps being taken by President Musharraf were only cosmetic, he said, President Musharraf had in fact taken very significant steps to rein in the extremists. The president, he said, in the meeting this afternoon with them (the Senators), reaffirmed his commitment of continuing to do that.

President Musharraf, he said, was fully aware of the fact that to bring peace, stability, economic prosperity and development to his people he would have to deal with terrorism and religious extremism.

Another Senator said that the speech would certainly not work as “magic bullet” and resolve the Kashmir issue in the near future. However, he said that it would lead to de-escalation of tensions, the cause of immediate concern to the whole international community.

Regarding apprehensions about US commitment to support Pakistan, he said, the Americans recognised that they could not allow any country to become a breeding ground for terrorists. For that, he said, they would have to remain committed to the development of the entire region. He said it was not just for the United States but for all of its allies to contribute towards development of the region.

About the issue of American forces’ presence in the region, they said they had got the same message in their meeting with the leaders of the region including Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan that they would remain engaged here.