UN Secy General Guterres Urges India, China To Avoid Actions Escalating Tensions On Border

The Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday: "We are obviously looking at the situation and we would urge all the parties involved to avoid any action that would make the situation more tense."

United Nations Secretary General

New Delhi: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said that the UN is keeping a close tab on the growing tensions between India and China along their borders in the Ladakh region and urged both the Asian neighbours to avoid any further escalation to heighten the already simmering situation. The Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday: "We are obviously looking at the situation and we would urge all the parties involved to avoid any action that would make the situation more tense." Asked at his daily briefing about US President Donald Trump's offer to "mediate or arbitrate" the dispute between the two Asian giants, he said: "That would be for the parties involved to decide who they would want to mediate. This is not for us to opine." Over the past two weeks, Indian Army and Chinese (People's Liberation Army) troops have been engaged in a standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)  in the highly sensitive western sector in Ladakh, where China's People's Liberation Army has beefed up its troops and military assets by reportedly moving two brigades along the Galwin Valley and Pangong Tso Lake region. Meanwhile US President Trump had tweeted on Wednesday, "We have informed both India and China that the United States is ready, willing and able to mediate or arbitrate their now raging border dispute. Thank you!" This was Trump's latest attempt to project himself as an international statesman by intruding into disputes that India is embroiled in. He has offered to mediate or arbitrate between India and Pakistan and even claimed that Prime Minister had asked him to. Meanwhile, India has denied that such a request was ever made.