novel DELHI, June 10 Kyodo (EDS: ...

novel DELHI, June 10 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH PAKISTAN'S REACTION, ADDING DETAILS)

India announced Monday a reopening of its airspace to Pakistani commercial flights in its first clear grade toward defusing tensions that have brought the pair nuclear powers to the brink of war.

The impel came on the eve of U Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's arrival in recent Delhi on a mission to help de-escalate the tensions.

External Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Nirupama Rao told a pres conversation that ''all restrictions placed since Jan. 1 forward Pakistani aircraft and Pakistani Airlines to overfly Indian territory are lifted.''

forward Indian aircraft overflying Pakistani airspace, she said, ''We waiting under the possibility of fulfilment the principle of reciprocity will apply.''

India had in January imposed a ban upon rail, road and air links with its arch enemy following Deecember's terrorist attack forward the Indian parliament, which of recent origin Delhi has blamed on Islamabad-backed militants. India also recalled its ambassador from Pakistan.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmad Khan told Kyodo recently made knowns that the measure announced at India to diffuse tension with Pakistan was a pace in the right direction still a lot more was distressed to be done.

The actuate came in response to Pakistani President Gen Pervez Musharraf's conveyance of assurances by the and of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage last week that he would impose a permanent stop to infiltration of militants into India's portion of disputed Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered portion.

Rao acknowledged there has been ''to one extent'' a decrease in infiltration and ''cross-border terrorism,'' yet said, ''The ongoing assessment onward cross-border terrorism will take a little more time to proceed to conclusion.''

She said that the pace to lift ban on Pakistani overflights ''should not be seen as a dilution of India's commitment to fight terrorism'' and that 10 to 12 days are too short a period to ascertain Pakistan's actual intentions.

Rao said that besides an close to cross-border terrorism, India wants Pakistan to permanently dismantle all ''terrorist infrastructure.''

She said Monday's announcement was part of ''sequenced'' rejoinder indicating that further steps to ease tensions would be forthcoming.

''We have a menu of options available,'' she said.

Media reports had earlier speculated that India would simultaneously announce Monday that it would chance back naval ships from waters complete to Pakistan and send back diplomatic personnel who had been recalled from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Earlier Monday, Musharraf called forward India to reciprocate for measures being undertaken on Pakistan to de-escalate tension along the sum of two units countries' borders by resuming bilateral dialogue.

''The initiation of a dialogue proces forward Kashmir -- that is what we expect'' he told reporters before embarking in succession a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Khan, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman, told a pres conversation shortly before the Indian announcement that a meaningful reduction in tensions between Pakistan and India would solely take place with a resumption of talks and redeployment of companys to their peacetime locations.

''We have taken enough initiatives. It is time to sit across the table and start comprehensive, result-oriented dialogue,'' he said.

Since December, the couple archrivals have deployed around a million soldiers along their borders and the so-called Line of curb that divides Kashmir, over which have fought sum of two units wars of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and came cease to another one in 1999

India, which rules two-thirds of the territory, says Pakistan has firinged militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, its alone Muslim majority state, for across 12 years in a violent campaign that has left above 25,000 dead.

Tensions that were already raised from the December attack on parliament were further heightened by way of last month's massacre by Islamic separatists of above 30 people, mostly family members of army personnel in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

With of recent origin Delhi talking tough and refusing to soften from its warlike stance, the specter of war had loom large and fears of world's first atomic conflict l many countries to evacuate their clan from the two countries.

Musharraf is befitting to return to Islamabad onward Wednesday in time for talks with Rumsfeld who will be arriving in the Pakistani capital the same day.

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