Asistant UN secretary-general Alvaro de Soto was due to hold talks with foreign minister Gohar Ayub Khan and prime minister Nawaz Sharif which are expected to centre on the Indo-Pakistani dispute over Kashmir. Pakistan has welcomed de Soto's visit, which it sees as a precursor to one by secretary-general Kofi Annan, but India, which has ruled out any mediation of the Kashmir dispute and wants it dealt with bilaterally, has declined to meet him.

Pakistani officials said the government would put to de Soto its case for mediation over Kashmir, cause of two of the three wars between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947. De Soto was expected to press Pakistan for a speedy signature on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to allay fears abroad thattension could escalate. Pakistan says it will not contemplate signing the agreements until India does so, insisting that the international community must tackle Kashmir to improve relations with India. Pakistan says that Kashmir, two thirds of which is ruled by India and the rest by Pakistan, has the potential to explode into a major dispute. Khan warned last month it could cause a nuclear conflict "at any time".