United Nations, Nov 10: Pakistan has called on the United Nations Security Council to move towards addressing Kashmir and other long-standing disputes on its agenda through "greater recourse to mediation and pacific settlement as provided in the UN Charter".
 "Unresolved disputes breed discontent and any unforeseen spark can ignite violent conflicts," Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan's acting permanent representative, told the General Assembly.
 Speaking in a debate on the annual report of the Security Council, he said the 15-member body had shown varying degrees of effectiveness in dealing with different stages of conflict.
 Indeed, while the Council had been effective laying down peacekeeping mandates and helping to keep post-conflict countries from relapsing into war, its efforts to prevent conflicts had elicited considerable criticism.
 "Major unresolved issues, including the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir, are on the agenda of the Security Council for decades - awaiting settlement," the Pakistan representative pointed out.
 "Preventive strategies to address long-standing disputes should entail greater recourse to mediation and pacific settlement under chapter six (VI) of the UN Charter, with a view to addressing root causes of the conflict," he added.
 "Security Council's greater reliance on preventive diplomacy will augur well for international peace and security." Tarar said the responsiveness of the Security Council to member states was measured by its openness and transparency. In that context, Pakistan welcomed the greater number of public meetings and open debates during the reporting period. (Agencies) 

Lastupdate on : Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
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