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The United States on Sunday said Kashmir remains the 'most dangerous and explosive place' in the world and that Secretary of State Colin Powell has Kashmir 'very high' on his agenda to lower tension between India and Pakistan.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage recalled that about 12 years ago, the then CIA Director had described Kashmir as 'the most dangerous and explosive place on earth'.
That, said Armitage, is still the case today.
Armitage told ABC TV that Powell, who starts his South Asia visit on Monday, has 'this very high on his agenda'.
Powell will try to work with both sides to 'lower the temperature' and bring down the tension, he said.
Armitage admitted that to some extent some of the terrorists had come to Kashmir from camps in Afghanistan. "I believe, the Indians certainly believe that to be the case."
He then indirectly acknowledged that some of the terrorists also come from Pakistan by saying: "We had on Friday announced that one of the terrorist groups of particular concern to India (Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad) has been put under the executive order (blocking their funds) much to the satisfaction of the Indian government."
On Pakistan's decision to join the US-led coalition against terrorism, Armitage said that Islamabad had been headed in the wrong direction but President Gen Pervez Musharraf turned it around.
The demonstrations against the US action, he said, have been at a manageable level and Musharraf is in control.
In the course of the discussion, Armitage appeared to back away a little from US President George W Bush's commitment that after dealing with the terrorists in Afghanistan he will go after terrorists in other countries.
He said the present focus is on terrorism in Afghanistan. "But after resolving this problem, if the (US-led) coalition felt it was necessary to go after terrorist groups in other countries, this decision will be a matter for the coalition to discuss."
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