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British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets Prime Minister Vajpayee later today and the two leaders are expected to sign a "New Delhi Declaration" to bolster ties between India and Britain. This will be the first bilateral meeting between the heads of the two countries in almost nine years. Blair, who is in India to try and diffuse tension between India and Pakistan will travel to Islamabad tomorrow.

Exactly two months ago, Blair visited India on a very different mission than the one that has brought him here now. Blair had come last October to seek India's support in the war against terror in Afghanistan.

This time Blair is visiting the subcontinent to try and prevent an armed conflict between India and Pakistan. Tension between the two countries escalated after the December 13 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament. India has blamed Pakistan-based terrorist groups for the attack and accused Pakistan of supporting such groups.

"There is much focus at the moment on the issue of Kashmir and the acts of terrorism connected with it and no doubt this will feature heavily in my discussions here and in Pakistan. But one thing is clear - only politics and not terror can solve issues like this. And the starting point of any dialogue should be the total and absolute rejection of actions such as those of 1st of October and December 13," Blair said.

The British Prime Minister knows that he will have to play a balancing role if he is to try and get both countries to talk. India has maintained that Pakistan has not done enough to crack down on terrorists. Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee would convey India's concerns to Blair when the two leaders meet this evening.