Bilawal says no plan B, US-Iran talks success must for global peace

PPP Chairman and former foreign minister 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 therefore he stressed the need that Islamabad talks lead to a peaceful resolution to the Middle East conflict.

Bilawal stated this in an interview with Sky News, where he was asked ahead of US-Iran talks scheduled in Islamabad on Saturday.

To a question about plan B in case talks fail, Bilawal said if both US and Iran don’t agree to a formal treaty then there is no plan B to prevent a return to full-scale hostilities.

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”.

He added that, “it was up to the disputing parties, up to the world, 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.”

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.”

He continued, “we all are hopeful that this ceasefire is achieved which will bring 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.