Pakistan's failure to stop cross-border terrorism is impairing peace and delaying the dialogue process initiated by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, according to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha.

"In order to sustain the dialogue we need peace and it is that peace which is being impaired, which is being threatened by cross-border terror," he said in an interview to BBC World, telecast on Wednesday morning.

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Referring to the recent upsurge in violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said, "According to our information a large number of terrorists are poised to cross the Line Of Control and get into India.

"We have to deal with that... And this is what we are asking Pakistan to stop. Please stop terrorists from coming into India. And this is what they are not willing to do."

He said the "uttering" of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf at New York had affected the "atmospheric for the peace process."

Regarding Vajpayee's decision to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation meeting in Islamabad next year, he said, "Right at the beginning we made it clear that there is no question of a summit between Vajpayee and whoever comes for the summit from the Pakistan side -- the prime minister or the president.

"As of now, we have all the intentions to participate in the summit. But it is a multilateral event and it should not be confused with bilateral relations between India and Pakistan."

He said cross-border terrorism was going on when Vajpayee made his peace overtures in April this year. "After that we have taken a number of steps to normalise the relationship. So it is not right to say the peace process is stalled. Even the other day, last week, we agreed to raise the staff strength of both the missions.

"The civil aviation talks have been held -- the first round -- and things are going on."