Pakistan tells UN General Assembly of its efforts to promote regional peace, stability

UNITED NATIONS: A top Pakistani diplomat told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that Islamabad was actively working to promote peace and stability in the South Asian region, and urged the international community to help Afghanistan as it negotiates critical transitions.

Speaking in a debate on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's report on the work of the organization, Ambassador Masood Khan said Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met his Indian counterpart Manmohan Sigh in New York last month and "made serious overtures to resolve all outstanding issues, including the issue of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir."

Pakistan, he said, supported Afghanistan's efforts to initiate a peace process and move towards national reconciliation, peace and stability.

In this context, the Pakistani envoy urged the UN to upgrade and fortify its strategy for the repatriation of more than 3 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

On the Middle East, he hoped that the resumed peace process will gain momentum and lead to a lasting peace in the region and a viable Palestinian state.

Masood Khan said that in defining the post-2015 global development agenda, the international community should ensure that economic, social and environmental issues would be addressed in a holistic manner, and that developing countries could get much-needed support, including financing for development.

He commended the Secretary-General's efforts in facilitating the agreement on the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Great Lakes region.

The Pakistan Ambassador welcomed the Security Council's resolution on Syria's chemical weapons, with the hope that the consensus generated would lead to agreements at the Geneva peace Conference so that Syria can move towards reconciliation and transition acceptable to the people of Syria.

He also expressed the hope the Geneva Conference would be held soon, leading to a political solution to the crisis.

Expressing regret about the impasse on nuclear disarmament, he said breakthroughs were possible if the four issues of nuclear disarmament, fissile materials, a ban on nuclear tests in outer space, and negative security assurance could be addressed simultaneously without hierarchies.

On the Security Council reform aimed at making the 15-member body more representative and acciutable, Masood Khan said decisions in this regard must enjoy the support of all members of the organization. "What we need is consensus," he said, adding that the reform should reflect the aspirations and interests of all, not the ambitions of a few.