The situation in South Asia with a special focus on India's peace overtures to Pakistan came up for discussion between External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and United States Secretary of State Colin Powell in Moscow on Wednesday.
During their first face-to-face meeting after India and Pakistan initiated moves towards peace, Sinha is believed to have underlined the need for Islamabad to stop cross-border terrorism and dismantle terrorist infrastructure to create a conducive climate for Indo-Pak dialogue to be resumed.
Both Sinha and Powell, who met in Moscow's Grand Marriott hotel, are on bilateral visits to Russia. Indian Ambassador to Moscow Krishnan Raghunath told reporters before the meeting that their meeting was fixed as a 'matter of convenience' to discuss a wide range of regional, bilateral and international issues.
The issue of sending an Indian military contingent to join the US-led Iraq stabilisation force was also on Powell's agenda, diplomatic sources said.
During his recent India visit, US Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage is also reported to have conveyed a similar request.