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Powell asks Musharraf to implement his promises

T V Parasuram in Washington

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Tuesday asked Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to implement the promises he made to end terrorism emanating from his country.

Terming the Indo-Pak border standoff as a "dangerous situation", he said the US would encourage New Delhi and Islamabad to refrain from provocative rhetoric and move towards military de-escalation.

Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Musharraf's speech on January 12 was a "seminal event" which "not only dealt with terrorism and extremism in a way I believe New Delhi found constructive, but sent a clear message to Pakistanis that terror must end if Pakistan is to enter the 21st century with expectation of progress and a decent life for its people".

"Musharraf showed great courage and foresight in sending such a decisive message to his country and, by extension, to the Islamic world. Now, he must show equal courage in implementing his concept in Pakistan," Powell said.

"The standoff between India and Pakistan is a dangerous situation. Any situation where you have forces that are mobilised and are in proximity to each other and are at something of a war-footing with nearly half a million soldiers deployed is dangerous. One where both sides have nuclear and missile capability dramatically more so," he said.

However, India and Pakistan had indicated that they wanted to avoid war and that they were desirous of solving the standoff through political and diplomatic means, Powell said.

"As President George Bush and I worked this issue over the past weeks, we have noted that there was an opportunity for a diplomatic and political solution, a situation that could avoid what could be a drastic consequence if it came to war," he said.

Powell said: "I talked frequently over the phone with Musharraf and (Indian) External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. We talked at length at how to reach a point where the two sides could say all right, let us talk to deescalate," he said.

"We will continue to monitor the situation, urging restraint and dialogue and helping where and when we can," the secretary of state added.

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