US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage kicked off his South Asia tour with a one-to-one meeting with National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra on Tuesday.

Armitage flew in here from Washington to hold talks with Mishra, who is heading on a visit to the US for talks with administration officials, including his counterpart Condoleeza Rice.

No aides were present at the meeting between Mishra and Armitage, in which Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's latest peace initiatives and the Pakistani response figured.

As Armitage embarked on his visit to Pakistan and India, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said: "This is a moment of opportunity where both sides seem to be reaching out."

Powell told reporters in Washington that Armitage would "encourage this process of reaching out and the US will be ready to assist both sides as they move forward."

Armitage, who is accompanied by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, will be reaching New Delhi on Friday after visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In an interview to BBC, Armitage said a lot of work is still needed to be done to "lower the temperatures" to enable India and Pakistan to live in peace and stability with each other.