Foreign secretary Jack Straw yesterday said that Tony Blair would not be putting forward a Western peace plan to broker the long-running conflict between India and Pakistan over control of Kashmir.

Although the trip has long been in the prime ministerial diary, Blair's shuttle diplomacy in the aftermath of September 11 has led to speculation that he is to present an anglo-American plan to defuse tension in the region.

"There is no Blair peace plan whatever that the prime minister could or should take out of his pocket to broker," said Straw.

He added that the dispute needed to be solved bilaterally. "If there are things the prime minister can do which assist in developing a climate in which talks can take place so much the better."