The United States has been in touch with China to persuade India and Pakistan to avoid any escalation in the Kargil crisis and ``pursue any approach consistent with the steps that the G-8 has stated,'' State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters on Monday.

The G-8 grouping of industrialised nations at their summit at Cologne (Germany) recently asked Pakistan to withdraw incursions from the Indian side of Line of Control and respect the LoC.

``The US has worked closely with China since the nuclear issue first arose last year. We and China share an interest in not allowing this (Kargil) issue to escalate and trying to damp down the incentives for an arms competition in that part of the world,'' he said.

Rubin said the US and the international community have an interest in seeing this crisis resolved. ``This must be donedirectly between India and Pakistan.''

``The United States is not a mediator. Nor have we offered any specific proposal for resolving the dispute. And we are urging the two sides to talk to each other to resolve the dispute.''

Asserting that the US is not playing any mediatory role, he said Washington is only ``trying to be helpful'' in resolving the dispute.