Washington (AFP)
Donald Trump has again proposed Tuesday, despite the reservations of New Delhi, to mediate between India and Pakistan face the "explosive situation" in Kashmir, increasingly at the heart of international concerns.
"Kashmir is a very complicated place, you have Hindus and you have Muslims and I would not say that they really get along with each other," said the president of the United States.
"I will do my best if I can mediate," he added, after speaking on the phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan over the last few days to discuss the need to "reduce tensions in Kashmir".
This is not the first time that the Republican billionaire, who is proud to boast of his supposed talents as an outstanding negotiator, offers his services on this issue that has already been at the origin of two of the three wars that India and Pakistan have since delivered their score in 1947.
At the end of July, when he received Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, he had assured that the head of the Indian government Narendra Modi had asked him to be "mediator" or "referee" about Kashmir.
"If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," he had immediately launched, believing that he could solve this thorny crisis.
But the Indian government had immediately denied such a request from New Delhi, where the issue is very sensitive and where it is repeated that it is strictly the bilateral dialogue with Islamabad.
- Diplomatic pressure -
In the absence of mediation at this stage, however, the international community is beginning to increase pressure for the two neighboring countries to find a way out.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke on Tuesday with Narendra Modi, who will meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit this weekend in Biarritz, France.
The UK has "made it clear" that India and Pakistan must "resolve bilaterally" and "through dialogue" the Kashmir-related issues, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said.
Tensions have remained acute in Kashmir since India on 5 August revoked the constitutional autonomy of the part of the Himalayan territory it controls.
A blackout on communications and heavy traffic restrictions had been imposed by the Indian authorities the day before the announcement. At least 4,000 people have been arrested in Indian Kashmir ever since.
Anxious since the beginning of this new crisis not to raise the tone too strongly against India, key ally in the region, to not give the impression of choosing one camp rather than another, the United States nevertheless urged Tuesday New Delhi to allow "as soon as possible" a return to normal.
"We continue to be very concerned by the reports of arrests, and by the continuing restrictions on the region's inhabitants," a US State Department official told reporters in Washington on Monday. a trip to the region.
"We urge respect for individual rights and legal procedures," she added, on condition of anonymity.
She assured that she relayed these requests to the Indian government, but implicitly acknowledged that the US appeal had not been followed by acts at this stage.
"We are still encouraging India to appease the situation," she said, focusing immediately on "human rights," "swift" liberation and the restoration of "fundamental freedoms."
© 2019 AFP