PAKISTAN TO RAISE DRONE ISSUE AT UN

Sept 23 (APP): The Pakistan delegation, under the  leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, will raise the issue of American drone strikes in  its tribal regions at various U.N. forums in the course of the General Assembly session, which begins its high-level debate Tuesday on crucial issues of  peace and security, the Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, has said. During an interview on Sunday evening, Aziz also said that the Pakistan delegation would play a constructive role at the annual session and convey its message of peace to the international community. Responding to a question about the drone attacks,he said Pakistan’s policy was clear that such strikes are “counterproductive” as they lead to large numbers of civilian deaths that generate hatred among people.

 

Pakistan,he said,had conveyed its serious concern to the United States over its drone programme, and called for the cessation of the aerial strikes.
“Drone strikes infringe Pakistan’s sovereignty and violate international law,” Aziz added.
The adviser said that international opinion was also turning in favour of Pakistan’s stand, and hoped  that the United States would feel the pressure and end the drone attacks.
Aziz said that Pakistan will also speak about the drone issue during a UN Security Council debate on the Role of Small Arms in Conflict on September 26.
An All Parties Conference (APC), which was recently held in Islamabad,  had recommended raising of the drone issue at the United Nations.
About terrorism,the adviser said Pakistan was combating the menace under a well-defined policy.Pakistan had also initiated moves to promote good relations with its neighbours—Afghanistan and Pakistan.With Afghanistan, some progress has been made,but in the case of India,there has been a setback that he hoped would be overcome.
Meanwhile,a tight schedule awaits Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,who is reaching New York Monday evening to participate in the General Assembly session.
The deadly conflict in Syria,the situation in Afghanistan,Egypt,Mali and the Central African Republic are high on the Assembly’s 175-item agenda.The Middle East diplomatic Quartet comprised of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States “will also meet for the first time in more than a year to support the resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The theme of the annual session of the General Assembly is:”Post-2015 Development Agenda: Setting the Stage.”
The year 2015 is the deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),the eight anti-poverty targets agreed by world leaders at a UN summit in 2000,setting specific goals on poverty alleviation, education, gender equality,child and maternal health,environmental stability, HIV/AIDS reduction, and a global partnership for development.
More than 130 heads of state/government will participate in the high-level debate,which begins on Tuesday and last till Oct 1.A huge security cordon has been thrown around the U.N.complex on the banks of East River as world leaders prepared to descend on New York.Checks points have been set up in various parts of the city of over eight million.
The high point of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif week-long visit will be an address to General Assembly on September 27, his first on the world stage.
Sharif,whose PML-N party swept the May elections,is expected to outline his vision for Pakistan and some of his foreign and domestic policies.He will also dilate on the efforts of the present government to curb the menace of terrorism besides its endeavors to bring peace and stability to the region.
In addition, the prime minister will participate in a number of other high-level events,including meetings on Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), sustainable development and nuclear disarmament.A meeting on education in Pakistan is also scheduled in which Malala Yousafzai will also take part.
He will also meet a number of heads of state/government,including leaders of China,Iran,Tunisia and Japan,on the sidelines of the General Assembly,and discuss various bilateral and regional issues.The Prime Minister is also expected to meet his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. Final touches to the Prime Minister’s programme are being given.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will call the prime minister on Thursday.
Besides UN-related engagements, the Prime Minister will also address members of the Pakistani community and American businessmen.
Ahead of the General Assembly’s high-level debate,UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,speaking to reporters, said “This is a crucial period for global cooperation.Syria is the biggest peace, security and humanitarian challenge we face.Let us be clear: the use of chemical weapons in Syria is only the tip of the iceberg.”
“Next week, as world leaders gather here,I will make a strong appeal to Member States for action now,” Ban said, adding he would call on world leaders to uphold their political and moral responsibilities to serve,to listen,to invest,to respond to the rising and justifiable demands of people across the world for lives of freedom and prosperity.”
Diplomats here are also keeping an eye on a possible first handshake between United states and Iranian presidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.Iranian President Hasan Rouhani and President Barack Obama have sent signals in the lead-up to next week’s meeting of the world body that they are open to taking at least small steps toward opening a diplomatic relationship.
The White House says there is no scheduled meeting between Obama and Rouhani,but White House press secretary Jay Carney also underscored on Thursday that Obama”has been open as a general proposition to bilateral discussions with the Iranians” while noting that the president has found Rouhani’s rhetoric in his first weeks in office encouraging.
“We are all watching very closely and with interest and listening closely and with interest to the things that the new leadership has been saying,”