Press encounter upon arrival (unofficial transcript)
Press events | Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General
There is much to discuss, ranging from development through peacekeeping to nuclear disarmament. As in Pakistan, I will be encouraging the government to sign the CTBT. High on the agenda will also be regional issues, which I have been engaged with during my tour of South Asia. In particular, I will be urging a return to the spirit of the Lahore Declaration and to a renewal of the dialogue with Pakistan in order to reduce tensions and build confidence. This is essential to the peace of both nations and to the security of the people of Kashmir, who have endured too many years of violence and suffering.
As I said in Islamabad, you and Pakistan have too much in shared heritage by way of history, as well as family and cultural ties, not to resolve your differences. It is time to begin healing the wounds, to restore trust and to regain a sense of a common good and a common future. So long as grievances persist between both nations, and violence continues in Kashmir, you and Pakistan will be unable to tap the full potential of this important region. My good offices remain available should the parties wish to engage under UN auspices.
However, the important thing is that engagement begin, so that the peoples of both nations can embrace the opportunities of the new century.
This is the right time for India and Pakistan to resume the dialogue. Pakistan's leader General Musharraf assured me in Islamabad that he is ready to do so at any time. And, as I have said earlier, I stand ready to support the dialogue in any way that I can. Thank you.
Q: How can the international community tackle the problem of international terrorism?
SG: I think it will require co-operation. This is an issue that the UN General Assembly has discussed and it demands that countries co-operate and they do not give refuge to terrorists and co-operate in dealing with them. Because if you give them comfort and you give them protection, we all pay a price. It will require major international co-operation and information sharing.
Q: How do you assess the developments on India's claim to permanent membership of the Security Council?
SG: This is an issue that the member states of the UN are discussing and the new President of the General Assembly is taking up the issue. It is a complex issue. I wish I could tell you when we are likely to see concrete results but I am afraid it is going to take a while yet. And of course India is one of the countries that is mentioned as deserving of consideration to serve on the Council.
Q: Sir, are you carrying any particular message from Pakistan to the Indian leadership; from General Pervez Musharraf to the Indian leadership?
SG: I think I have already said enough. I already said enough.
Q: Sir, do you see any role for the UN Military Observer Group in Jammu and Kashmir in light of these statements?
SG: They have been around, they have been there for quite a while, and they have a mandate to be there. Obviously if they were, if India and Pakistan were, to engage and you had resolved the issue, there would be no need for the Observers. They'd be withdrawn.
Q: What was General Pervez Musharraf's reaction to your statement that the UN resolutions on Kashmir can't be implemented without India's assent. How did he react to it; how did the Pakistanis react to it?
SG: I really can't answer that but I did make my statement.
Q: Pakistan has been saying all along that a plebiscite is called for because that was [inaudible]?
SG: I think my statement is clear, my statement in Pakistan and my statement here is clear. Thank you very much.
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