Rubio urges India and Pakistan to de-escalate, backs direct dialogue

By Simon Lewis and Ismail Shakil

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged de-escalation and expressed support for direct dialogue in separate calls with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Fears have grown that the worst confrontation in two decades in the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors could escalate after India on Wednesday struck what it said was "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in retaliation for a deadly attack in Indian Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi has blamed on Islamabad.

New blasts rang out across the city of Jammu in Indian Kashmir late on Thursday during what Indian military sources said they suspected was a Pakistani drone attack.

Rubio, in both phone calls that took place before the latest blasts, "emphasized the need for immediate de-escalation," Bruce said in readouts of the calls.

"He expressed U.S. support for direct dialogue between India and Pakistan and encouraged continued efforts to improve communications," Bruce said.

President Donald Trump has said he hopes the tit-for-tat strikes will stop and said he was willing to help, but Washington has not offered to formally mediate to quell the tensions.

Showing the delicate balancing act of Rubio's diplomacy, the two State Department spokespersons' readouts, sent out within a minute of each other, also included tailored messages for each side.

To Jaishankar, Rubio reaffirmed his commitment to work with India in the fight against terrorism, Bruce said. He expressed sorrow to Sharif for the reported loss of civilian lives in the current conflict between the two neighboring countries, while also urging Pakistan to take steps to end support for terrorist groups, she said.

(Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Ryan Patrick Jones; Editing by Alistair Bell)

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