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United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived in India on Tuesday, held the first round of talks with Union Foreign Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on Tuesday night.
The meeting went on for one hour.
Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Nirupama Rao briefing reporters said Singh and Powell discussed three things -- current situation in Afghanistan, prospects for further improving bilateral relations and measures to strengthen the fight against terrorism.
She said India and US also agreed on the need for a broad-based and multi-ethnic government in Afghanistan in the post-Taleban scenario.
The two leaders met in an 'extremely cordial, constructive and positive' atmosphere and decided to further 'broaden, expand and deepen their relations', she added.
She said that both of them would take the discussion further on Wednesday.
Replying to questions from reporters, she said the issue of his comments on Kashmir also came up.
Asked whether India had taken up the matter with Powell, she said, "Our concerns on the issue are well known to the American side. It would have been natural for us to have taken the opportunity to explain our position."
The spokesperson also said that the US has appreciated India's support in the fight against terrorism and considers it a 'source of comfort'.
"The US sees in the current (Afghan) crisis an opportunity to further broaden what is already a strong, stable and constructive relationship," Rao said.
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