Washington: The US has said that it was "heartened" by the outcome of the recent meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in New York and hoped that the two countries would resolve the Kashmir issue bilaterally in a proper way.

"We were heartened by the September 24th statement of Manmohan Singh and President Musharraf when they indicated they had a desire to deepen their own dialogue.

"If they do that, I think ultimately they will resolve the question of Kashmir in a proper way without the US being in the middle of it," Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in an interview to Pakistan's Geo TV, the text of which was released by the State Department.

Asked whether there is any direct involvement by the US in the peace process between India and Pakistan, he said, "I would not say there is a direct involvement. You know Secretary (of State Colin) Powell's and my own involvement in this, particularly during some difficult times."

The joint statement issued after the Singh-Musharraf meeting on September 24 said that the two leaders agreed that confidence building measures (CBMs) of all categories under discussion between their Governments should be implemented keeping in mind practical possibilities.

They also addressed the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and agreed that possible options for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the issue should be explored in a sincere spirit and purposeful manner.