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UN Security Council favours international efforts to solve Indo-Pak standoff

"There was an agreement that there should be enough time for quiet and calm diplomacy," said council president Mikhail Wehbe of Syria.

The issue, diplomats say, was raised by Mexico at a closed-door meeting of the council on Tuesday. Most members were of the view that it should be left to the efforts being made by the United States, Britain, Russia and China, they said.

Wehbe, addressing his first press meet as president of the council, hoped the efforts underway would find a peaceful solution and prevent war.

He said the consequences of any conflict would be 'catastrophic' as both countries have nuclear arsenals.

However, he said if the situation exacerbates, "I am sure the council will be ready to discuss this matter and to give it the utmost consideration."

India considers the Kashmir issue a bilateral one with Pakistan. That is one of the reasons for the council's aloofness, diplomatic sources said.

The UN has military observers in Kashmir, but they are not known to have made any report. The UN Monitoring Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) is not recognized by India.

Besides India, major powers including the US and Russia, are not in favour of the council taking up the issue at a time when their top officials are trying to defuse the crisis.

PTI

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