Pak renews offer to mediate in M-E crisis

Pakistan has renewed its offer for mediating in the Middle East crisis and reaffirmed its resolve not to become a part of any conflict in the region, it was reported.

The offer was formally conveyed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi during a telephonic conversation with his counterparts from Iran (Mohammad Javad Zarif), Saudi Arabia (Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud), the United Arab Emirates (Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed) and Turkey (Mevlut Cavusoglu) on Sunday, reports Dawn news.

This was the first time Qureshi contacted the leadership in Tehran after the January 3 US airstrike that killed Iranian Army General Qasem Soleimani.

According to an official announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there was a wide-ranging exchange of views between Qureshi and the four foreign ministers on "the unfolding situation in the region".

The Minister also reaffirmed that Pakistan would neither let its soil be used against any other state nor become part of any regional conflict.

Qureshi is expected to make a policy statement on the Middle East situation in the National Assembly or the Senate on Monday (today).

Qureshi's calls to his counterparts comes after Army spokesman and Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor declared in categorical terms that Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used against anyone and would continue to play its role in establishing durable peace in the region, said Dawn news.

During an interview with ARY News TV channel, he acknowledged that Soleimani's death had "changed the situation in the region", saying Pakistan desired that the region "does not go towards another war".