Secretary of State Colin Powell is in South Asia trying to ease the dangerous buildup of military forces on the tense border between India and Pakistan. His most urgent task is to persuade the nuclear-armed neighbors to pull back their armies to reduce the risk of war. But sooner or later India and Pakistan will have to peacefully resolve the explosive disagreement between them over the status of the northern Indian state of Kashmir. More than 50 years have passed since their first war over Kashmir, without any measurable progress in settling the conflict.

Pakistan would welcome outside mediation. India rejects the idea, arguing that the turmoil in Kashmir is an internal problem. In his meetings, Secretary Powell has been careful not to take sides. But on Wednesday he again rebuffed Pakistan's appeal to become involved in negotiations. As a practical matter he had no choice, since no outsider can make progress without the consent of both sides. But behind the scenes, he should energetically try to coax India and Pakistan to begin a dialogue, just as President Bill Clinton did before leaving office. The United States could at least start by introducing some basic principles, including the need to turn away from using force.

For now, these ideas remain theoretical. In the last dozen years, however, diplomats have devised some solutions to conflicts that seemed as intractable as Kashmir. Dialogue and agreements to disarm, divide territory and work out complicated political relationships have come with negotiations in places as different as Northern Ireland and the Balkans. Once the military situation is eased, it may be possible to pursue a similar path in Kashmir. Given the danger of a nuclear war, there is no choice but to try.

-- The New York Times