Washington: Stressing that the issue of cross-border terrorism remains important and will be a subject of continuing discussion with Pakistan during the visit of senior officials to the region, the US has said it is working with both India and Pakistan to encourage them to start discussions.

Briefing reporters on the eve of the departure of Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca, State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher on September 30 said the US will continue to press President Pervez Musharraf to end cross border terrorism in Kashmir.

"The issue of cross-border terrorism remains important to us. President Musharraf has made commitments to end the cross-border activity, and that remains very important to us, and remains a subject of continuing discussion with the Pakistani government as they try to achieve that goal," Boucher said.

Armitage will visit Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and the UK from October 1 to 8. He will be visiting Islamabad on October 1.

Boucher said the United States "is working with both India and Pakistan to look at some of the issues between them, and to encourage them to start engaging in discussions themselves to resolve these issues. And that is a continuing issue that we work with the parties and raise with the parties."

PTI