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Bush asks Musharraf to live up to his promise; to send Rumsfeld

T V Parasuram in Washington

With Indian and Pakistani forces engaged in a heavy exchange of fire along the Line of Control (LoC), US President George W Bush on Thursday asked President Pervez Musharraf to 'live up to his word' and stop cross-border terrorism and announced that Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would visit the two countries early next week to defuse tension.

"He (Musharraf) must stop incursions across the Line of Control. He must do so," Bush said after a cabinet meeting.

The US and others 'are making it very clear to both Pakistan and India that war will not serve their interests', he said.

Stating that the US was part of an international coalition 'applying pressure on both parties', Bush said he was sending Rumsfeld to India and Pakistan early next week as part of US efforts to defuse tension.

"Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is going there this week," he said.

Armitage is arriving in New Delhi on June 6.

A external affairs ministry spokesperson also informed reporters in Delhi about Rumsfeld's proposed visit.

PTI

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