Pakistan's Foreign Minister called today for "unconditional" talks with nuclear rival India, saying that was the only way discussions would be fruitful.
He said also that the only way to end violence in the Kashmir region claimed by both nations was to give hope to its people.
"Those people who blow themselves up in Palestine and Kashmir don't seek permission from (Palestinian President) Yasser Arafat or President Pervez Musharraf," Mr Mian Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri told a seminar in the port city of Karachi.
"They do it because of the hopelessness of their situation. The only way to end this is to give them hope (about the resolution of the dispute)."
Mr Kasuri made the remarks hours before he was due to leave for the United Sates, where he plans to meet senior US officials and attend a special event of the UN Security Council.
Mr Kasuri said Islamabad wanted Washington to play a role in the resolution of the dispute in South Asia. Pakistan has sent a message to New Delhi through US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage that Islamabad was serious in dialogue with India, Mr Kasuri said.
"India should also respond seriously without setting any preconditions," Mr Kasuri said. "Any talks can only be successful if they are held without preconditions."