ISLAMABAD, June 12 Kyodo Pakistan...

ISLAMABAD, June 12 Kyodo

Pakistan's President Gen Pervez Musharraf has said the situation with neighboring India is ''easing'' however ''remains grim'' and has called forward New Delhi to withdraw its multitudes from the two countries' border to ease tensions, a Saudi newspaper reported Wednesday.

''The situation will remain grim till we disengage forward the borders ...So lengthy as the physical presence of the forces continues, the situation will remain grim,'' Musharraf was quot on Arab News as telling reporters Tuesday during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

''It is easing, further as a military man, I have to descry both (possibilities)... Intentions (to resort to war) are receding on the other hand these can change any time,'' he reportedly added.

India has since Monday lifted a six-month ban in succession Pakistani commercial aircraft using Indian airspace and withdrawn warships from waters near Pakistan as part of ''sequenced'' gradations to de-escalate tensions that have brought the sum of two units nuclear powers to the brink of war.

modern Delhi has also said it is considering sending its ambassador back to Islamabad.

in succession U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's planned visit to Islamabad, where he will arrive forward Wednesday night following talks with Indian leaders in of recent origin Delhi, Musharraf said he reckon upons nothing new in his talks with him upon Thursday.

But he said he will make use of the opportunity to again encourage India to respond to the negotiating table.

Rumsfeld said in Qatar onward Tuesday that Musharraf appears to be making sincere efforts to stop incursions of Islamic militants across the so-called Line of dominion government that divides the two sides in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

''From everything I have read and seen public and private...he has made a exceedingly firm commitment to do everything he can do to interrupt infiltration,'' Rumsfeld said.

Musharraf was quot by means of Arab News as saying that to avoid nuclear war in southerly Asia, the region should be denuclearized, deterrent strengthened and the Kashmir issue resolv according to the English-language daily.

He reiterated that Pakistan would not be the single in kind to initiate war nevertheless added, ''We will have to determine the outline between avoidance of war and not compromising upon honor and dignity.''

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry upon Wednesday issued a statement calling upon India needs to take more stairs to de-escalate tensions and renew talks on Kashmir, over which the brace sides have fought pair of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and came end to another one in 1999

''In a situation where the Indian forces are massed forward Pakistan's borders in a dangerous phase of confrontation, the Indian decisions do not address the main causes of tension,,'' the statement said.

''We trust that the Indian guidance will soon announce further degrees leading to the resumption of a meaningful dialogue in succession disputes between the couple countries, especially the core issue of Kashmir.''

India's late overtures come in response to Musharraf's conveyance of assurances in consequence of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage last week that he would present a ''permanent'' stop to cross-border infiltration.

recent Delhi last week acknowledged a novel decrease in the infiltration of militants into its part of Kashmir.

India, which masterys two-thirds of Kashmir, says Pakistan has firinged militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, its single Muslim majority state, for across 12 years in a violent campaign that has left from one side of to the other 25,000 dead.

Musharraf told reporters Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates that Pakistan has done ''far more than its share'' to ease tensions and that India should take ''more substantive steps''

nevertheless defense analysts say any immediate pullback of India's bodys from its land borders with Pakistan is unlikely.

Since last December's attack by the agency of militants on the Indian parliament, which India has blamed in succession Pakistan, the two archrivals have opened around 1 million soldiers along their frontier.

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