The United States on Tuesday welcomed "continued dialogue" between Pakistan and India on Kashmir issue, and said that it would "encourage all interested parties" to take "a careful look" at any proposal "that could advance peace in the region." Asked to comment on President General Pervez Musharraf's offer to settle longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, a State Department official said: "We welcome and encourage continued dialogue between Pakistan and India on Kashmir issue."
The official told APP: "We encourage all interested parties to take a careful look at any proposal which could advance peace in the region, which engage their own publics."
The president's proposal includes identifying problem regions in the disputed territory of Kashmir, demilitarisation of these areas and applying workable solutions to them.
Meanwhile, China also welcomed any proposal or effort that contributes towards resolving the Kashmir issue and bringing peace and stability in the region.
Chinese Foreign Office Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue stated this at a weekly news briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.
China believes that both Pakistan and India could take necessary steps to restore trust and confidence for normalisation of their relations, she added.