Washington: Observing that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has "gambled for peace", US President George Bush has assured India that he would impress upon his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf to create a "climate" for the initiative to succeed.

The Bush administration is "conscious" that no progress in Indo-Pak talks was possible unless Pakistan stops cross border terrorism, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani told reporters in Washington briefing on the talks he held with US leaders, including Bush.

He said that the US President has assured that he would speak to Musharraf when they meet later this month about creating a climate in which Vajpayee's peace initiative could succeed.

Advani said Bush warmly appreciated the Prime Minister's peace overture with Pakistan and stated "he (Vajpayee) has gambled for peace and provided political space for resolving differences, without forgoing the concern for security."

At a separate briefing, White House Spokesman Arie Fleischer said, "the administration continues to work very closely with Pakistani officials, including President Musharraf, about the need to make certain that action is taken to prevent infiltration into Kashmir." The issue of infiltration, Fleischer said, "continues to be an important part of our foreign policy in the region".

Advani said it is clear that his US visit was not Pakistan centric but dealt with a broader canvas of Indo- American relations which are progressing well.

PTI