Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that the United States supported dialogue between India and Pakistan, after Islamabad appealed for a larger US role on Kashmir.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, taking part in high level talks that the United States hopes will show goodwill, called for a "constructive engagement" by the United States on Kashmir.
Asked about his remarks later at a joint news conference, Clinton said that the United States supported reconciliation efforts between India and Pakistan.
"The issues that are part of that dialogue need to be addressed and resolution of them between the two countries would certainly be in everyone's best interest," she said, without explicitly mentioning Kashmir.
Clinton said that the United States wanted to be a partner of Pakistan on "a full range of matters".
"We can't dictate Pakistani foreign policy or Indian foreign policy. But we can encourage, as we do, the in-depth discussion between both countries that we think would benefit each of them with respect to security and development," she said.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner, asked separately about Qureshi's remarks, said the United States has "always welcomed dialogue and better relations between India and Pakistan including on the issue of Kashmir.
"But the pace, scope and character of that dialogue are really something for the Indian and Pakistani leaders to decide," Toner told reporters.
The United States has walked a delicate balancing act in South Asia as it tries to pursue co-operation and assuage anti-American sentiment in Pakistan but also nurture an emerging alliance with India.
US President Barack Obama's administration repeatedly has ruled out mediation on Kashmir, after its early suggestions it could help in diplomatic efforts triggered a backlash in India.
India considers Kashmir a domestic issue and has said it is willing to discuss all issues on it except redrawing borders.
Kashmir, a scenic Himalayan territory with a Muslim majority, has been the trigger for two of the three full-fledged wars between India and Pakistan since they were separated at birth in 1947.
Front page
RSS Feed