‘World doesn’t have a plan B’: Bilawal stresses need for US-Iran talks to lead to peaceful resolution of conflict
Former foreign minister and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the world does not have a “plan B” if the US-Iran talks fail to yield the desired results and emphasised the need for the negotiations to lead to a peaceful resolution to the Middle East war.
Bilawal shared these thoughts in an interview with Sky News, where he was asked ahead of the talks scheduled in Islamabad for Saturday, “don’t result in a formal treaty” during the two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, “do you have a plan B to prevent a return to full-scale hostilities”.
In his response, Bilawal said: “I think the international community doesn’t have a plan B. Our Plan A needs to be achieving a peaceful resolution to this conflict and a more permanent peace. I think the way this conflict has played out has proven that a war of this nature, a war of this scale, is not an option.”
He continued: “It’s up to us, up to the disputing parties, up to all countries, to push all sides to agree to that peace so that we don’t get drawn into potentially broader conflict than what we have seen over the course of last month.”
His remarks come a day before Islamabad is to host peace talks between the delegations of Washington and Tehran, after Pakistan brokered a temporary ceasefire between the two warring parties.
During the interview, Bilawal said all eyes were on the visiting delegations arriving in Islamabad.
“Pakistan, London, New York and many other countries in the Middle East have been affected by this war,” he said, adding, “We can measure the toll of this conflict not only in the loss of human lives but the economic cost that is borne by the people in my country and in yours.”
So, he continued, “we all are hopeful that this space that has been achieved, this ceasefire that has been achieved is now be built upon towards a more lasting and permanent peace for the benefit of the international community”.
Asked about the challenges being faced by Pakistan in its diplomatic efforts, he said: “Pakistan’s role is to play the host to both these parties that will be directly negotiating here in Islamabad.”
“The biggest achievement so far is that we reached this point,” he said.
Bilawal added that there would be challenges for the US and Iran as well, particularly highlighting the “wide trust deficit that exists between the two warring parties”.
“But as with all diplomatic negotiations and engagements, I am confident that there will be confidence-building measures that both sides will take in order to increase the space for dialogue and diplomacy in their pursuit of peace,” he said.
More to follow
