Putin plays peacemaker in South Asia

Vajpayee insists on an end to terrorism before he will agree to direct talks with Musharraf

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (CNN) -- The leaders of India and Pakistan have both agreed to separate invitations from Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Moscow.

No dates have been set for the visits. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would visit on separate days, the delegations on both sides said, emphasizing the two would not meet face-to-face.

Vajpayee and Musharraf showed few signs of backing off from their current impasse over Kashmir and cross-border terrorism at a South Asia Security Summit in Kasakhstan.

They ended the summit Tuesday without a face-to-face meeting, or even a token handshake.

But after holding separate talks with Musharraf and Vajpayee, Putin said he saw progress, Associated Press reports.

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"In any case, both leaders expressed their interest in direct contacts, even though they still see the conditions for organizing such meetings differently, but both sides have the desire for such contacts," Putin told reporters after the meetings.

"No less important, both leaders of both states underlined that they do not intend to use force to solve their problems," Putin said.

The nuclear rivals have massed about a million troops along the U.N.-drawn Line of Control that divides their sectors of the state officially called Jammu and Kashmir -- raising international fears of a possible nuclear war.

"We do not want war. We will not initiate war," Musharraf told summit attendees.

"But if war is imposed on us, we will defend ourselves with the utmost resolution and determination. We have stated, repeatedly, that instead of accusations, threats and dangerous escalation, we need to return to the path of dialogue and negotiations," he said.

Vajpayee was in the audience, marking the first time in six months the men were in the same room.

Earlier Tuesday, in an interview with CNN's Matthew Chance, Musharraf said, "I consider this unthinkable, to ever be a moment where we have to launch nuclear attacks."

Musharraf made a similar statement Saturday, insisting that Pakistan will only defend itself against any Indian aggression. While India has a stated policy that it will not be the first to strike with nuclear weapons, Pakistan does not have an official policy on the matter.

"Let us denuclearize Asia, let us sign a pact, let us reduce forces. This is what we have been saying," the Pakistani leader said. "We want to eliminate even remote talk of a nuclear exchange."

In an effort to quell fears about a possible nuclear war, the Indian Defense Ministry in New Delhi issued a statement Monday saying, "The government makes it clear that India does not believe in the use of nuclear weapons. Neither does it visualize that it will be used by any other country.

"As a responsible nation, India feels it will be imprudent to use such weapons. India categorically rules out the use of nuclear weapons."

Before Musharraf spoke, Vajpayee said incursions from the Pakistani-controlled section of Kashmir into the Indian sector had increased in the past month.

India has accused Pakistan of allowing militants to cross into India and wage terrorist attacks, which Musharraf denies. Pakistan identifies them as militants from inside the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir who are fighting for the right to self-determination.

Musharraf has made two promises, Vajpayee said, "one, that Pakistan will not allow its territory to promote terrorism anywhere in the world, and two, that no organization will be allowed to indulge in terrorism in the name of Kashmir."

"Violence in Jammu and Kashmir has continued unabated," he said. "Terrorist camps continue across our border" in Pakistani Kashmir. The state is named after its two most populated regions.

The U.S. State Department planned to issue a stronger travel warning Tuesday for India and Pakistan, urging U.S. citizens to depart both countries, an agency official told CNN. The new warning would step up advisories issued over the past few weeks.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were scheduled to head to South Asia on Tuesday.

Armitage on Monday called the situation "extraordinarily volatile" and said his goal will be to help reduce tensions.

"Those who say we shouldn't even think about a nuclear exchange are right in one way, but we have to have it in the back of our minds," he said.

Tensions between India and Pakistan were sparked by the December attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi that killed 14, including five assailants.

India blamed the attack on Kashmiri militants based in Pakistan, demanding that the Islamabad government take action to stop incursions as it mobilized thousands of troops toward the border and the Line of Control.

The crisis escalated further last month with an attack on an Indian army camp that killed more than 30 people. (Tense two weeks)