US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the US was seeking a "productive" relationship with India and Pakistan, independent of each other.

Powell said the US no longer saw the problem in the sub-continent as an "India-Pakistan" issue.

No hidden hand can remove the problems between the two neighbours and it was only left to them to sort the issues. "Both the countries should take the risks for peace," he said.

Powell chose the plenary also to counter the criticism the US has incurred at various WEF sessions in the past few days and said the US could be trusted to use its power responsibly.

It did not seek anything in return for rebuilding a new Afghanistan. "Our differences need not be equated with American unilateralism," he said.

Powell reiterated the US would disarm Iraq if it did not disarm on its own. "But we will not shrink from a war," he said.

The US was also working on North Korea to find a peaceful solution to the problems arising out of the latter's nuclear arms.

Looking at the future, Powell said the US hoped Russia would join the World Trade Organisation and China would be integrated with the global economy.

The US secretary of state said in the event of a war, Iraq's humanitarian concerns would be addressed.

He said the US had enough evidence that Iraq had not yet fully dismantled its chemical weapons of mass destruction. Iraq was a serious threat, which must be met squarely, he added.