Washington: Cautioning the international community against being too optimistic over the recent peace overtures by India and Pakistan, the US has assured it will do all that it can to promote peace and stability in South Asia.

Replying to a correspondent's suggestion that India and Pakistan "have settled these long squabbles and they are opening borders" and so on, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said, "Let's not go too far ahead of ourselves.

"Certainly there are a lot of good things going on and the US welcomes that, it has encouraged that and it is working with them on that. But there certainly are more things to do and more things that we will be talking to them about," he said at his daily press briefing on May 6.

He however assured that Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will do what the US can to promote peace and stability in South Asia.

In South Asia, Armitage will have discussions with senior officials in each country. He will meet with Embassy staff and will continue to express "our strong interest in strong relationships with the South Asian countries and do what we can to promote peace and stability in the region", he said.

Boucher said that Armitage, who left on May 5, would be back on the 11th.

Armitage visits Islamabad, then Kabul and then New Delhi. He has been in London for meetings with British officials and with the Indian National Security Advisor, Brajesh Mishra, who is travelling in Europe and will be in the United States when Armitage is in South Asia.

PTI