This Article is From Sep 25, 2015

General Assembly is a Great Opportunity for India and Pak Leaders to Meet: UN Chief

General Assembly is a Great Opportunity for India and Pak Leaders to Meet: UN Chief

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon's office said that it has always encouraged India and Pakistan to have a dialogue.

United Nations: Advocating friendly relations between India and Pakistan, the United Nations chief, Ban Ki-moon has called for the current General Assembly session as a great opportunity for leaders from both countries to meet. This, despite indications from India that there is no bilateral meeting scheduled between the two neighbours.

"The Secretary-General has always encouraged India and Pakistan to have a dialogue, and he has welcomed it when it has happened between various officials, and it is always an issue that he brings up in his various meetings with the Pakistani leadership and with the Indian leadership," Mr Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said yesterday.

When asked if Mr Ban will urge both the leaders to meet given that they will be in the town for the UN General Assembly session.

"The holding of the general debate is always a great opportunity for leaders to meet whether formally or informally, whether with the United Nations or just us giving them the space to do it, so let's see what happens," Mr Dujarric said.

India has said that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing visit to the US, no bilateral meeting is scheduled with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif.

"As of now there is nothing, no bilateral meeting on the schedule," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup had said.

PM Modi and Mr Sharif are staying at the same hotel in the city, the iconic Waldorf Astoria.

India and Pakistan have been engaging in a war of words after the cancellation of the National Security Adviser level talks in August. The two nations blame each other for frequent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.
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