New Delhi: US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage arrived in New Delhi on May 9 night amidst a clear message by India that Pakistan must dismantle terrorist infrastructure and stop cross-border infiltration to foster friendship.

New Delhi's view was emphatically articulated by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani who told a party meeting, "Our stand is the same - You (Pakistan) have to stop cross-border terrorism...friendship is possible...but you have to dismantle terrorist infrastructure first."

The US official landed at the Delhi airport at 22:05 hours (IST) and drove straight to his hotel without speaking to the waiting large media contingent.

Ahead of his intensive consultations with Indian leaders on May 10, Armitage told reporters in Islamabad that his discussions with Pakistani leaders "would be faithfully carried to our Indian friends" for them to study and decide on their course of response.

Armitage, who flew in after travelling to Pakistan and Afghanistan, has a tight schedule lined up for him on May 10.

He will start his engagements meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi which will be followed by talks with Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal who will host a lunch for him and then a meeting with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.

Armitage will call on Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, meet Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and round off his trip with a call on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee before leaving in the evening.

PTI