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NEW DELHI, Wednesday (AFP) The European parliament called for a resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan to defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed arch rivals.

Enrique Baron, who is leading a European Union parliamentary delegation to New Delhi, said the EU would be happy to act as a mediator for talks between India and Pakistan if needed.

"We are worried about tensions between India and Pakistan. We think that the only solution is through dialogue and negotiations," said Baron, who is president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), the second largest party in the European parliament.

"If we could contribute to easing tensions through facilitating talks we would be more than happy to help but we realise it is a bilateral issue that India and Pakistan must solve."

"We support the Indian position. We have condemned militant infiltration into Kashmir. We all agree that it has to stop," said Baron.

Baron also expressed hope that violence would not derail ongoing elections in Indian Kashmir.

"The EU expresses the strong hope that violence will not disrupt the election process in Jammu and Kashmir. We are democratic like India and see elections as the only solution to the vexed issue of Kashmir."

Baron added that the EU continued to hope the elections would be free, fair and inclusive.

"We do not have to put a seal on the elections in Kashmir. We have no doubt that they are fair. India is a 52-year-old democracy so we should not sit in judgement on it or the country's election commission."

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will meet European Commission (EC) President Romano Prodi and Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt in Copenhagen on October 10 for the third India-EU summit.

"Next week, India and the EU will engage in sustained dialogue to intensify our co-operation in increasing bilateral trade, diplomatic and cultural relations," Baron said.

"The upcoming summit will focus on providing EU aid to India in the spheres of education, health and the environment. We are also interested in the transfer of technology."

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