Modi, Trump never discussed Kashmir, show official records

by Editor 1

NEW DELHI: There was no conversation in Osaka between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Kashmir or mediation in the dispute, and this is borne out by official records of discussions by both the Indian and US governments.
In a major damage-limitation effort following Trump’s outrageous claim that Modi asked him to “mediate” with Pakistan on Kashmir, Indian officials went back to their records of discussions of the bilateral meeting in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 meeting. Sources said officials at the US state department also confirmed to their Indian counterparts that their records had no such discussion between Trump and Modi in Osaka.
There was no one-on-one meeting between Modi and Trump. Recreating the bilateral meeting, sources said the two leaders walked together from the Japan-India-US trilateral to the designated room. They were followed by photographers and TV camerapersons, and they even stopped for pictures.
The meeting was attended by foreign minister S Jaishankar and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo besides senior officials from both countries. Modi, unusually, listed out the four topics he wanted to talk about with Trump – Iran, bilateral issues, 5G and defence. All this was captured on camera.
In fact, there was no time to discuss one of the items on Modi’s list – defence ties. That was clarified by foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale in the post-talks briefing for journalists.
On Monday night, after Trump’s remarks with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khanthreatened to blow up into a huge controversy, Jaishankar, Gokhale and India’s ambassador to the US, Harsh Shringla, crafted a strong and clear response to what could have been a diplomatic disaster.
In Washington, the US government too sought to contain the damage. “Obviously, Trump was mistaken. The administration has since been scrambling to set the record straight without denouncing him,” a source close to developments in Washington said.
A senior US state department official said, “We believe the successful foundation for any dialogue between India and Pakistan is based on Pakistan taking sustained and irreversible steps against militants and terrorists on its territory. These actions are in line with PM Khan’s stated commitments and Pakistan’s international obligations. We will continue to support efforts that reduce tensions and create an environment conducive to dialogue. This first and foremost means tackling the menace of terrorism. As the president indicated, we stand ready to assist.”
In its readout of the meeting, the White House said: “The path to a strong and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the US lies in working together to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan. Pakistan has taken some steps against terror groups operating within Pakistan. It is vital Pakistan take action to shut down all groups once and for all.”

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