Washington, April 29, 2010, SPA -- President Barack Obama sees reducing tensions between India and Pakistan as a "very high priority" but American support for that process is best done in a quiet fashion, Reuters cited a U.S. official as saying today. "It's certainly a very high priority for the president, for Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton, for this administration, to be as supportive as we can in reducing tensions between India and Pakistan," Paul Jones, a senior State Department official, told a congressional hearing. The prime ministers of India and Pakistan held talks on Thursday and asked their officials to take steps as soon as possible to normalize relations, signaling an unexpected thaw. Ties between the nuclear-armed rivals went into a diplomatic freeze after India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the Mumbai attacks in November 2008. Any reduction in tensions could mean Pakistan might be able to devote more long-term resources to battle al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in its territory, seen as key to U.S. efforts to win the war in neighboring Afghanistan. Jones, deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, acknowledged progress with Friday's bilateral India-Pakistan talks. "It's a very complex situation and ... it's very clear that our support is best done in a quiet fashion in just encouraging the process and offering the support to the parties that we can," he said. --SPA 19:43 LOCAL TIME 16:43 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/775073