UN Chief To Welcome Indo-Pak PMs Meet In NYC

New Delhi, Sept 18, IRNA -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today said he would welcome a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next week. The UN leader also expressed hope that the two prime ministers would discuss ways to address the tension at the Line of Control. I would strongly welcome such meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Ban told reporters at UN when asked to comment on the possibility of a meeting between the leaders of the two nuclear-armed neighbors, pti reported. The UN Chief said he was concerned about the exchange of fires along the LoC and this issue should be handled between the two leaders as they visit the city for the 68th session of the UN General Assembly. The Indo-Pak peace process was derailed by the August 6 incident, in which five Indian soldiers were ambushed and killed while on patrol on the LoC. Pakistan has been pushing for a meeting between Singh and Sharif on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. However, India has been non-committal on the meeting./end