December 27, 2001
Expressing concern over increasing tension between India and Pakistan, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the two countries to avoid actions that would "escalate tensions" between them and resolve their differences through dialogue.
In a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, he appealed to them to make every effort to foster a "calmer atmosphere" so that differences- "no matter how great" - could be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
The international community as a whole, he said, had great interest in improved and stable relations between them. In letters sent on Christmas Eve, Annan urged them to avoid "actions and statements" that aggravate the situation.
The letters were sent on Monday and a UN spokesman said the texts of the separate letters sent to Vajpayee and Musharraf would not be made public
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C íŸ 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
