Pakistan ready to carry on with its mediation role in US-Iran talks, says PM Sharif

ISLAMABAD, April 11. /TASS/. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated at a meeting with the Iranian delegation that arrived for negotiations with the United States, that Islamabad would be ready in future to play the role of a mediator for the benefit of regional and global peace, the press office of the Pakistani prime minister said in a statement on Saturday. "Having expressed his gratitude to Iran for participating in the Islamabad talks, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan's sincere determination to continue playing the role of mediator, contributing to achieving positive results in the interests of the regional and global peace and stability," the statement reads. A source close to the matter disclosed to TASS earlier in the day that the Iranian delegation was likely to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif before the start of negotiations with the United States. According to the source, the Iranians and Pakistani officials were to determine the format and time for the start of negotiations. The source also hinted that the meeting could be attended by Chief of Pakistan Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Iran’s delegation led by Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in the Pakistani capital on Friday night. It also includes Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian state broadcaster reported. On Friday evening, Ghalibaf said that the US had failed to fulfill two truce terms that must be met before the start of negotiations, including a ceasefire in Lebanon and the unfreezing of Iranian assets. The Islamic Republic’s state television claims that Iran will begin negotiations with the US if Washington accepts all of Tehran’s preconditions. An informed source told TASS that the meeting will be extremely tense as Tehran’s demands to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon are not being met. The search for compromises based on Tehran’s ten-point proposal is expected to be the central theme of the talks. These include the principle of non-aggression, Tehran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, uranium enrichment on the territory of the Islamic Republic, the lifting of primary and secondary sanctions, compensation payments, and the withdrawal of American forces from the region.