India's defense minister, allaying fears of nuclear war with Pakistan, has said their confrontation could end if Islamabad handed over Indian terrorist suspects and cross-border raids ended. Fernandes is attending an Asian security conference in Singapore.

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf are attending a 16-nation regional security conference in Kazakhstan, but the chances of a face-to-face meeting appear remote.

Fernandes told the Singapore meeting: "India will not be impulsive. All we expect of the Musharraf regime is that it desist from supporting terrorism."

Musharraf has also described nuclear war unthinkable for any sane person. He has also said he wanted a meeting with Vajpayee, but would drop the idea if the Indian leader was not interested.

RUSSIA HOPES TO MEDIATE

Russia is hoping to act as a mediator at the conference in Kazakhstan's commercial capital Almaty. Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to have separate meetings with the two leaders during the three-day session opening on Monday.

But Vajpayee said before leaving New Delhi "there is no such plan" for an individual meeting with Musharraf on the sidelines. (Read photo caption)

He said, however, he would give serious consideration to talks at some point if there was evidence Musharraf was making good on promises to curb raids by Islamic militants into Indian territory.

The international community fears the two leaders driven by internal pressures may lose control of the situation. A number of countries have urged their nationals to leave the area or put off visits to Pakistan and India.

India and Pakistan have regularly exchanged artillery and gun fire along the border, particularly in disputed Kashmir, since the latest confrontation erupted. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947.

Officials and witnesses said four Pakistanis and an Indian woman were killed in exchanges around the Kashmir region on Sunday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee talks to journalists in New Delhi June 2, 2002, before his departure for a regional summit in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Vajpayee said on Sunday he had no plans to hold talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at regional conference in central Asia. (Stringer/India/Reuters)