WASHINGTON, Nov 13: US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that China played a "very helpful" role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan two years ago.

In a wide-ranging interview released by the US State Department on Saturday Mr Powell also assured the international community that the United States has no plans to invade Iran despite disagreements with the Iranian government.

Mr Powell, who had earlier indicated that he may not seek a second term as secretary of state, declined to say whether he will stay or step down as the Bush administration prepares to begin another term.

He said over the last four yearshe found the Chinese leadership "to be very helpful" in working with the US to resolve multilateral disputes.

"As we worked our way through problems on the Subcontinent, the challenge that we faced two years ago between India and Pakistan, I found China to play a very helpful role in the resolution of that problem," said Mr Powell.

Two years ago, India had brought hundreds of thousands of additional troops to the border with Pakistan following a terrorist attack on the Indian parliament. Fearing that it could lead to a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan, the Bush administration got actively involved in defusing the tension.

Besides urging New Delhi and Islamabad to show restraint, Washington also appealed to China to use its influence on Pakistan to prevent a possible war. Mr Powell indicated that China not only responded positively to the US request but also played "a very helpful role" in ending the crisis.