NEW DELHI (Reuters) - US Secretary of State Colin Powell walked a diplomatic tightrope in New Delhi on Wednesday as he sought to cool tensions between India and Pakistan after an outbreak of firing across their border in disputed Kashmir.
Powell, who holds talks with India before heading to Shanghai for this weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, is keen to head off any flare-up which might destabilize Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S.-led strikes on Afghanistan. (Read photo caption below)
But India, angered at U.S. support for its nuclear rival and traditional enemy, vowed on Tuesday to continue ``punitive action'' against infiltrators from Pakistan into Kashmir.
Powell holds talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and members of his government, which is expected to accuse Pakistan of cross-border terrorism in Indian-ruled Kashmir.
``I think he is going to get a very cold reception here,'' said Bharat Karnad at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.
Powell said in Islamabad that the dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir was central to the Indian-Pakistani relationship -- comments that did not please New Delhi.
A solution, he added, had to be based on mutual respect and a ``desire to accommodate the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.''
India says Kashmir is an integral part of its territory and describes the problem as one of terrorism. It has repeatedly rejected efforts by Pakistan to treat the issue as central to their relations.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh(R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in New Delhi, October 16, 2001. Powell called on India and Pakistan to make peace over Kashmir as an outbreak of firing across the border greeted his arrival in South Asia. (Kamal Kishore/Reuters)
- Oct 16 5:45 PM ET