Washington: Maintaining that there is a broad political consensus in India in favour of dialogue with Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha has said that there was "absolutely" no suggestion from US for a mediatory role.

The US role is that of a friend who makes inquiries about the state of affairs and the progress which has been made, he told reporters in the presence of US Secretary of State Colin Powell when asked if there was any role for Washington in Indo-Pak ties.

Sinha, who met President George W Bush and later held talks with Powell, said, "In my discussions here there was absolutely no suggestion of a role for the US in terms of mediation and so on. There was curiosity, there was inquiry, and that is fair enough."

Powell appreciated the efforts made by India and Pakistan in improving their ties.

"We are so pleased at how far we have come over the last couple of years. When the Minister (Sinha) and I were here together some 18 months ago, we were worried about a conflict breaking out in the region and how that conflict might escalate."

"And here today, we are able to talk about the success that the Indians and Pakistanis achieved recently in Islamabad, how that have been reaching out to one another, how transportation links are being reestablished, how two leaders - Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf - have set themselves on a course of dialogue and discussion of all the issues that are outstanding between the two sides," he said at a joint press conference with Sinha.