Wednesday, January 26 2005 12:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Brussels: Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz yesterday (Jan 25, 2005) pledged to keep moving "step by step" towards peace with India, voicing hope that such moves will benefit the entire region.

Speaking after talks with European Union (EU) officials in Brussels, he also hailed recent progress towards stabilising Afghanistan, fueled by presidential elections last October.

"Pakistan strives for peace with India," he told reporters in a joint press conference with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

"We are taking a step at a time in the right direction. We are optimistic that the composite dialogue process will take peace in south Asia to new levels," he added, referring to peace talks between Islamabad and New Delhi.

Aziz discussed the latest India situation with Solana, notably underlining a number of initiatives such as the opening of an energy corridor and a cross-border bus services as examples of bolstered cooperation.

A diplomat close to the talks said the two men had no substantial discussions of the recent tensions.

The Pakistani leader, meanwhile, welcomed signs of progress in Afghanistan, which is battling to recover from decades of civil war notably with parliamentary elections in a few months' time.

Solana said that the EU is happy with the democratisation process under Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.