Aziz, who arrives Tuesday in his capacity as outgoing chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, a regional forum of seven nations, will meet his counterpart Manmohan Singh the following day, according to India's foreign ministry.

The two leaders are expected to review recent developments in the formal peace process, known as the composite dialogue, round two of which is due to begin later this month.

Aziz's visit comes as a fresh verbal spat broke out between the two sides, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir.

The week saw fireworks from both sides, with Singh setting the ball rolling by rejecting President Pervez Musharraf's new proposals on solving the core Kashmir dispute.

In response, Musharraf told AFP in an exclusive interview that the "vibes" from New Delhi were not good.

The Pakistan president had recently suggested that Kashmir could be divided into seven regions any one of which could be demilitarised and either placed under United Nations mandate, joint control or given independence.

Later, while addressing South Asian journalists in Lahore, Musharraf hardened his stance, saying Islamabad had not left its "stated position on Kashmir, and will not do so unilaterally".

Pakistan has been insisting on a United Nations plebiscite in Kashmir which New Delhi promised to hold after independence from Britain in 1947.

On Sunday, Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh said Pakistan needed to be patient.

"It (Kashmir) is an old question... It's not possible that results will come in a day or two," Singh was reported by the Press Trust of India as saying.

Asked about Musharraf's remarks, he said: "We may not necessarily agree with it but for us this dialogue is a process and I don't think we should be looking at an outcome so soon as the other side seems to be."

He said this stand would be conveyed to the Pakistan prime minister.

In an attempt to soothe the atmosphere before his talks with Aziz, Prime Minister Singh too said he was looking forward to a "fruitful exchange of views."

"We are very serious about the composite dialogue. We want it to progress and progress well," Singh told reporters in Imphal, capital of northeastern Manipur state.

Analysts in New Delhi termed the sharp exchanges as routine.

"I regard this as both sides spelling out their own positions," said India's former envoy to Islamabad G. Parthasarthy.

Ashutosh Mishra of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis said the outbursts were "hiccups".

"The peace process has only just begun and is evolving. These things are expected. I don't think they cast a dark shadow," he said.

Ajay Sahni of the Institute of Conflict Management accused Musharraf of causing "mischief" by floating his proposals before journalists without first discussing them with India.

"His proposals were obviously mischief," Sahni said. "When an institutional process of dialogue is ongoing then at the level of the head of state to go to the press with proposals is nothing but mischief.

"He jumped the gun. He was already cutting up a cake that was still being baked. In fact, we don't even know if there is going to be a cake."

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