Washington: The United States has welcomed the meeting between External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri saying that it was an opportunity for progress in bilateral ties and reducing the risk of use of nuclear weapons.

"We do think this is an opportunity for them to make further progress and comprehensive engagement while at the same time agreeing on concrete steps to lower the risk of accidental or intentional use of nuclear weapons. So we do think there are opportunities here and we are glad the parties are pursuing them," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday (Jun 21, 2004).

The US applauds the efforts that are being made by India and Pakistan to try to make progress in their bilateral dialogue, he said.

"We have supported that dialogue in our contacts with the new Government of India as well as our continuing contacts with the Government of Pakistan. This is the latest series of discussions that they have had," Boucher said.

In the first ministerial level interaction between the two countries after the change In reply to Government in India, Singh and Kasuri yesterday met in Qingdao in China during the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ADC) meet.

Boucher also used the opportunity to praise Pakistan President Musharraf for "the strategic decision" he made after the 9/11 terror attacks.

"It is widely known to everybody that there was a distinct change of course to put Pakistan on the right course," he said.