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    Donald Trump repeats Kashmir mediation offer, India says it's a bilateral issue

    Synopsis

    India on Wednesday reiterated its stand on Kashmir and said the matter has to be addressed bilaterally following US President Donald Trump’s yet another offer to 'help' resolve the issue.

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    At an interaction with the Press on Tuesday and ahead of the meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos, Trump repeated his mediation offer.

    NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday reiterated its stand on Kashmir and stated that matter has to be addressed bilaterally following US President Donald Trump yet another offer to "help" resolve the issue.

    Kashmir a bilateral issue and will have to be solved bilaterally, sources said, adding talks and terror cannot go together.

    At an interaction with the press on Tuesday ahead of the meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Davos, Trump repeated his mediation offer once again. He is expected to visit India on February 24-25.

    "We will discuss the situation in Kashmir. We can meditate on the issue. We are working with Pakistan on some borders and we were talking about Kashmir in relation to what is going on between Pakistan and India. If we can help, we certainly will be helping. We have been watching that and following it very very closely," he said.

    The meeting was the third one-on-one meeting between Trump and Khan in less than one year.

    The meeting was attended by delegations from both sides as regional security matters, Afghan peace process, US-Iran conflict and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir were discussed.

    Khan also raised the issue of Kashmir, highlighting the tense situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, reiterating his demand to Donald Trump and the international community to intervene.

    The first offer of mediation by Trump to media came in July 2019, when Khan was visiting Washington DC. "If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," Trump had said, in response to Khan's appeal to use his good offices.

    He repeated the same on August 1.

    The third mention was on August 26, 2019, after his meeting with Prime Minister Modi at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France where he took a step back and said, "We spoke last night about Kashmir... And the Prime Minister (Modi) really feels he has it under control. I know they speak with Pakistan, and I'm sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good. We spoke about it last night at great length."

    On August 29 he said, "I think we are helping the situation but there are tremendous problems between those two countries... and I will do the best I can to meditate or do something."

    On September 9 when asked he said, "I'm willing to help them... I get along well with both countries very well. I'm willing to help if they want."

    On September 23, 2019, on the sidelines of the UNGA, he spoke to reporters with Imran Khan sitting beside him when he said, "I am ready, willing and able... It's a complex issue and it's been going on for a long time. But if they are both willing then I'm ready to do it."

    He repeated his offer two days later at a news conference on September 25 in New York, "I offered, whether it's arbitration or mediation, or whatever it has to be, I'll do whatever I can.”


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    ( Originally published on Jan 22, 2020 )
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