UN chief stands ready to mediate Kashmir dispute if accepted by India & Pakistan

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Tuesday renewed his good office offer aimed at resolving the decades-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, provided both sides agree.

Replying to a question at a briefing about US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute, the Secretary-General's Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN chief's good offices remain available should both sides agree to the process.

India rejected President Trump's offer, saying New Delhi stood for dealing with the issue bilaterally.

"As a matter of principle, the good offices of the secretary-general, are available, but both parties must reach out to him," Farhan Haq told the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.

India opposes to any UN mediation in resolving the Kashmir problem while Pakistan has continuously sought the secretary-general's good offices to resolve the Kashmir dispute.