Asked about Islamabad's proposal for Aziz to undertake the visit on June 7, he said, "Dates have not yet been firmed up". They are being finalised through diplomatic channels, he said.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has accepted the suggestion of his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to send Aziz to India in a bid to defuse the situation in Kargil.

"We have proposed the date and I hope India will accept it," Pakistan foreign minister Sartaj Aziz told reporters. "The trip is not meant to solve the Kasmir issue. This is meant for defusing the situation," Aziz said.Asked about the Indian response to the date proposed by Pakistan, Aziz replied, "Basically they have said that the visit is welcome." Commenting on the purpose of his visit to New Delhi, Azizsaid Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has already stated that the bilateral talks should go on so that "we can explore ways and means of defusing the situation". Sharif had offered to send Aziz to New Delhi during a telephonic conversation with his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee last Saturday. Meanwhile, in an interview to a foreign news agency, Aziz said Pakistan expects talks with India on reducing tension along the line of control (LoC) in Kashmir will take place next week.