August 19, 2008	Tuesday	Sha’aban 16, 1429

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 18: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is prepared to use his good offices in helping to resolve the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir provided both — India and Pakistan — agree to his role as a mediator, a UN spokesman said on Monday.

“As you know our good offices are always available to the parties as long as they are agreed to by both or all parties to the conflict. In this case, over the years, that does not seem to have been the case but certainly our good offices are available should both (parties) choose,” spokesman Farhan Haq said.

He was responding to a question at the noon briefing on the deteriorating situation in occupied Kashmir and whether the secretary-general was prepared to act settle the conflict.

Over the years, India has refused any offers of good offices or mediation by the UN, saying that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.

As regards the charges of human rights violations by the Indian security forces in curbing demonstrators in occupied Kashmir, Ban Ki-moon has offered no comments on clashes in which more than 34 people have been killed, except to say that he is monitoring the situation.