Nawaz, Modi likely to meet in Paris next month

WASHINGTON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi could meet next month in Paris as the Obama administration is keen to see resumption of dialogue between Pakistan and India since the tension between the two couldn’t be lowered due to stubborn Indian attitude despite the efforts by world capitals, including Washington.
Diplomatic sources in the US administration hinted that after the failure at the last month’s UN General Assembly (UNGA) summit in forcing prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Narendra Modi to sit across the table, fresh efforts are underway as both the prime ministers would be together yet again next month in the French capital where the climate change summit is taking place under the auspices of the UN.
The conference will commence on November 29 and continue till December 11 but the world leaders including prime ministers Nawaz Sharif, Modi, President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and about 70 world leaders will be together on the 30th of the month.
The sources said that UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon has extended invitations to the world leaders, including that of Pakistan and India, for participation in the Paris summit.
President Obama is personally taking interest in resumption of talks between Pakistan and India since he has entrusted the responsibility to his Secretary of State John Kerry to redouble his efforts for the purpose, the sources said. The secretary is establishing contacts with Islamabad and New Delhi soon for the assignment.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Syed Jalil Abbas Jilani will visit the State Department next week for consultations in this regard. Likewise, the Indian Ambassador to the US, Arun Singh, is also being consulted, the sources pointed out.
Pakistan has for the third time declined to resume negotiations with India on New Delhi’s terms and quite interestingly now Washington has also asked New Delhi publicly to resolve its disputes including Kashmir with Pakistan through peaceful means. The sources reminded that Pakistan is prepared to talk with India on terrorism but it wouldn’t be exclusively on terrorism. “All the outstanding issues are supposed to come up for such discussions and Kashmir will essentially be part of it and before that Pakistan will consult the Kashmiri leadership who are the major stakeholders of the dispute.”
It is understood that Pakistan’s Ambassador to France Ghalib Iqbal would also be consulted before a decision is made for participation in the Paris summit, the sources added. Meanwhile, the United Nations is working with the French government towards securing a legally binding global climate agreement to curb carbon emissions, in Paris, at the UNFCCC-21 climate change conference in five weeks’ time. Since 2010, the World Climate Summit has been the original global business, finance and government forum in parallel to the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP).