UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday in his opening speech at the 74th session of the General Assembly said that continued escalating tensions in South Asia can only be resolved by dialogue.
He didn’t mention Pakistan and India directly but his obvious reference was towards ongoing India-Pakistan confrontation over New Delhi’s unilateral annexation of occupied Kashmir.
“Tensions are elevated in South Asia, where differences need to be addressed through dialogue,” the UN chief told the world leaders sitting in the audience.
In his speech, Guterres further said he is not very hopeful on peace prevailing on the global landscape as in days to come persisting conflicts will get worse, terrorism will spread and a new arms race will begin.
“Outside interference, often in violation of Security Council resolutions, makes peace processes more difficult”, he said.
The secretary-general said, “Many situations remain unresolved, Yemen to Libya to Afghanistan and beyond.
“A succession of unilateral actions threatens to torpedo a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. In Venezuela, four million people have fled the country making it one of the largest displacements in the world,” he said.
“We face the alarming possibility of armed conflict in the Gulf, the consequences of which the world cannot afford. The recent attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities was totally unacceptable. In a context where a minor miscalculation can lead to a major confrontation, we must do everything possible to push for reason and restraint,” he stated.
“I hope for a future in which all the countries of the region can live in a state of mutual respect and cooperation, without interference in the affairs of others – and I hope equally that it will still be possible to preserve the progress on nuclear nonproliferation represented by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” he concluded.