FM Qureshi meets Iranian counterpart in New York

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NEW YORK, Sept 28 (DNA): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi today (Sept. 28) has once again met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in New York.According to a private television channel report, FM Qureshi and Iranian FM discussed the situation of the region and mutual interests during the meeting.Sources told that the both Foreign Ministers decided to continue mutual consultation for peace in the region.Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Donald Trump had asked him tomediate with Iran to defuse tensions, though the US president latersuggested it was Khan who approached him and nothing was final.

Khan met Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of
this week‘s United Nations General Assembly, before which he visited
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, whom he said had made
the same request.

“Trump asked me that if we could de-escalate the situation and maybe
come up with another deal,” Khan told reporters at the gathering of
world leaders in New York. “Yes, we did convey this, and yes, we‘re
trying our best,” he said.

“I immediately spoke to President Rouhani yesterday after the meeting
with President Trump. I can‘t say anything right now more than this,
except that we re trying and mediating,” he added.

In Saudi Arabia, which was hit earlier this month by attacks on its oil
infrastructure blamed on Iran, the crown prince “also asked me to talk
to the Iranian president,” Khan said.

Speculation has been rife about a possible face-to-face between Trump
and Rouhani on the sidelines of the general assembly, with France‘s
Emmanuel Macron trying to broker what would be a historic meeting.

At a separate briefing to reporters where Trump spoke on Iran, he said:
“They would like to negotiate. It certainly makes sense but we haven‘t
agreed to that yet.”

Asked about Macron‘s involvement, he responded: “He s also talking to
us, a number of people are.

“So is Prime Minster Khan of Pakistan. A lot of people, Chancellor
Merkel just now, Chancellor Merkel, and she‘s very much involved, we
have a lot of people involved. A lot of people would like to get us to
the table.”

But pressed on whether he had asked Khan to get involved, Trump said:
“Well, he‘d like to do that and we have a very good relationship and
there‘s a chance that that could happen.

“But no I haven‘t spoken — he actually asked me, he thought it would be
a good idea to meet and we‘re here, we‘re in New York together and we
have the time to do it, although we‘ve done a lot of bilats in the last
two days.”

Pakistan traditionally has strong relations with Saudi Arabia but also
maintains ties with Iran, with Islamabad representing Tehran‘s consular
interests in the United States in the absence of diplomatic relations.

The leaders of France, Germany and Japan were all also meeting Rouhani
and Trump at the UN in hopes of reviving diplomacy. DNA

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