UN chief urges Iran war parties to end conflict, return to diplomacy

GENEVA, Oct 6: Speaking to reporters in Islamabad about the US-Israel war on Iran, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he wants to send a loud message to all parties: “End the conflict, return to diplomacy and restore navigational rights in accordance with international law.”

Sitting next to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, he tied the peace in the region to “the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people”.

Guterres also lauded Pakistan’s role in mediating between the US and Iran.

AFP adds, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday Pakistan had acted as a crucial mediator between the United States and Iran, and urged an end to the Middle East war.

The UN chief said Islamabad's mediation between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the war showed "Pakistan is trusted and is trusted even by countries that are at odds with each other".

Pakistan brokered a June accord that led to a brief halt in fighting between the United States and Iran and set a roadmap for further agreement on reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz waterway, and for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme.

"We can only wish that the efforts of Pakistan will go on and that they will be successful and will finally see peace in the Middle East," Guterres told reporters in Islamabad.

"I want to send a loud and clear message to all parties: end the conflict, return to diplomacy, fully restore navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law," he said.

The United States and Israel launched the war on February 28, killing Iran's leadership and demanding it cease any nuclear-related activities.

The war plunged the Middle East into violence, with Tehran's retaliatory strikes targeting Washington's Gulf allies and sending global energy prices skyrocketing.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned drone strikes and other attacks on civilians in Sudan, warning warring parties that there is “no military solution to the crisis” in the country.
The statement on Monday came as the World Food Programme said an air attack had hit a truck carrying food supplies in North Kordofan, killing one person.
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