Hours after receiving an invitation from his Pakistani counterpart Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Saturday night wrote back to him stating India's commitment to improvement of bilateral relations, for which there is a need to end cross-border terrorism.

Careful groundwork is necessary before talks can begin at the highest level, the letter said.

According to external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna, Vajpayee hoped that Pakistan would respond 'positively' to his announcement of restoring full diplomatic ties and resuming civil aviation links on a reciprocal basis.

In his letter, Vajpayee recalled his statement in Parliament on Friday, which emphasised on the need to create a conducive atmosphere for talks.

The prime minister's reply 'is on its way now to the high commission in Islamabad to be handed over to Prime Minister Jamali's office', the spokesman said.