Hopes for a breakthrough in South Asia were dashed this week, when the summit between Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf broke off without an agreement. A peace accord was always beyond reach. But there were signs during the three-day meeting that the two leaders might be able to sign a document that would establish a foundation for future talks. Instead, Mr Musharraf returned home empty-handed. The effort was not wasted, however. The two men proved that they could discuss the issues that divide their countries. Necessity may yet drive them to strike a deal that is so clearly in both their national interests.

The mere fact that the two leaders were meeting provided grounds for hope. Summits between the two countries have been rare; the last attempt was in February 1999, and the hope it created evaporated three months later when separatist guerrillas, with Pakistan's support, seized territory on India's side of the Line of Control that divides the two nations in the disputed province of Kashmir. India had refused to talk to Mr. Musharraf, whom it accused of masterminding the invasion. Subsequent efforts to engage the separatists directly failed, however, forcing Mr. Vajpayee to try instead to talk with Mr. Musharraf.

Hopes rose as both men made conciliatory gestures during the summit and then extended their meeting by a day to hammer out an agreement. Those efforts failed at the last minute. Reportedly, the two leaders agreed on the broad outline of a document, but failed, as always, to nail down specifics on the critical issue of Kashmir. India wants Pakistan to rein in the separatists -- which Islamabad denies it supports.