"I trust Pakistan", Ready to mediate if India and Pakistan agree, says Donald Trump
New York, Sep 23: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he was ready to mediate between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir issue if both sides agree as he described himself as "an extremely good arbitrator".
India maintains that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one and no third party has any role in it.
Trump made the remarks during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here.
"The most powerful country in the world has a responsibility," Khan said alongside Trump, warning that the "crisis (in Kashmir) is going to get much bigger."
"If I can help, I will certainly help," Trump responded, a day after attending 'Howdy, Modi' rally in Houston, where he shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and displayed a close friendship and a common vision on fighting terrorism.
"If both (Pakistan and India) want, I am ready to do it," he said, describing the Kashmir issue as a "complex" one which has been going on for a long time.
"I have very good relationship with Prime Minister Modi. I have very good relationship with Prime Minister Khan...I would be an extremely good arbitrator. I have never failed as an arbitrator," Trump told reporters, avoiding to directly answer a question on Kashmir.
Trump praised the 'Howdy, Modi' mega rally in presence of Khan and said he has heard a "very aggressive statement" by Prime Minister Modi at the mega rally.
"It was very well received within the room," Trump said, referring to the gathering of 50,000 people at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
"I hope India and Pakistan will do something that is very smart and good for both. There is always a solution," the US President said.
At the rally on Sunday, Modi hit out at Pakistan for its support to terrorism and said India's decision to nullify Article 370 has caused trouble to those who cannot handle their country as he called for a "decisive battle" against terrorism.
When asked about the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir by a Pakistani reporter, Trump said that he wants everybody to be treated well.
"I want to see everything workout. Everybody to be treated well. You have two big countries, two warring countries and they have been fighting," the US President said.
During his press interaction alongside Khan, Trump repeatedly snubbed Pakistani reporters and on one occasion even asked one of the journalists whether he is part of the Pakistani delegation.
"Where do you find reporters like these," Trump asked Khan in response to a question posed by a Pakistani journalist on Kashmir.
On Pakistan-US ties, Trump said: "People in my position have treated Pakistan very badly."
"I trust Pakistan but people before me didn't, but they didn't know what they were doing," he said in response to a question.
Khan, who has declared himself an ambassador of Kashmiris, on Sunday briefed US lawmakers, scholars, human rights activists and the media on the repercussions of India revoking the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5.
Trump and Imran last met in July at the White House. During their first one-on-one interaction, the US president had expressed his willingness to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue - an offer India rejected.
During Modi's meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France last month, the prime minister categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.
"All the issues between India and Pakistan are of bilateral in nature, and we don't want to trouble any third country. We can discuss and resolve these issues bilaterally," Modi had said.
On his part, Trump had said he and Modi spoke about Kashmir "at great length" during the G7 Summit and he feels that both India and Pakistan can resolve it on their own.
His comments on Kashmir in the French city of Biarritz was seen as an apparent backtracking from his earlier comments, offering mediation.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
India's action evoked strong reactions from Pakistan which downgraded diplomatic ties with New Delhi and expelled the Indian Ambassador.
Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue but India has asserted that the abrogation of Article 370 was its "internal matter". New Delhi has also asked Islamabad to accept the reality and stop its anti-India rhetoric.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin in close contact with Gulf leaders to facilitate de-escalation: Kremlin
Moscow (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin is making all possible efforts to de-escalate the crisis in the Gulf and is in close contact with the regional leaders as Iran is retaliating with massive strikes on the US facilities and infrastructure on their territories, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren. Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in the surrounding Gulf States.
"Putin will certainly make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tensions. In this regard, we discussed with virtually all of our interlocutors yesterday," the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"Taking advantage of the dialogue we maintain with the Iranian leadership, (President) Putin will convey his deep concern regarding the strikes on their infrastructure to our colleagues in Iran," he added.
According to the Kremlin, Putin spoke by telephone with leaders of Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
In his telephonic conversation with Crown Prince and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, Putin discussed the escalating situation in the region as a result of the American-Israeli armed aggression against Iran.
“Both sides expressed serious concern over the real risks of escalation of the conflict, which has already affected several Arab countries and is fraught with catastrophic consequences. In this context, Vladimir Putin underscored the urgent need to resolve the current extremely dangerous situation through political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.
On Monday, Putin also had telephonic contacts with the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who currently chairs the Gulf Cooperation Council, Emir of the State of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Exchange of views was held regarding the unprecedented escalation around Iran as a result of US and Israeli aggression, which is bringing the entire region to the brink of a full-scale war with unpredictable consequences. Sides underscored the need for a swift cessation of hostilities to prevent the situation from spiralling completely out of control and to return it to a political and diplomatic framework,” the Kremlin said.
The current developments, in particular, threaten the security of many Arab states with which Russia maintains friendly relations.
Given this, President Putin reaffirmed Russia's readiness to use all available means to actively contribute to stabilising the situation in the region, the Kremlin said, adding that contacts with the Gulf leaders will continue.
