The United States on Wednesday rejected Pakistan's demand to exempt its nationals from registering with the Immigration and Naturalisation Services under a new programme.

"We know that this programme has caused some concerns among Pakistani Americans as well as Pakistanis back home," US Secretary of State Colin Powell said at a joint press conference with Pakistan Foreign Minister Kurshid Mahmud Kasuri in Washington.

"I assured the minister that we are sensitive to his concerns and also reinforced that this is not something directed at Pakistan or directed at Muslims or directed at Pakistanis in America," Powell said.

Pakistan, he said, `has my full assurance that we will do everything to implement this programme in a dignified manner'.

"It is an effort on part of the United States to do a better job of knowing who is in our country," Powell said.

"He gave me a number of ideas as to how some of those concerns can be dealt with," Kasuri said.

The ministers said they had also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq and Indo-Pak tensions.