Lahore, Feb. 4 : United States Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher has acknowledged that the resurrection of the composite dialogue between India and Pakistan depends on the trust deficit between both countries being significantly bridged.

He said that the only way to ease tensions was for Pakistan to address the fallout of the Mumbai Attacks and tackle the terrorism problem.

"Frankly, if you look at the situation right now, the best way to ease tensions (between New Delhi and Islamabad) is to deal with the Mumbai (attacks) and the terrorism problem," Boucher was quoted by the Daily Times as saying.

Boucher also also said he does not believe that security assistance to Pakistan should be conditioned to the extent that the independence of its army gets curtailed.

"You have to be careful not to cut off your nose to spite your face," he said ((ANI))