European Union not to interfere in Kashmir issue

Srinagar (PTI) - A five-member European Union
delegation, currently on an information gathering visit to
Valley, on Friday hinted the EU will not interfere in the
Kashmir issue saying it has to be resolved by the "people
living in the region".
"We are not coming here with a particular mandate (to
solve the issue)... what is happening in this part of the
country has to be solved by the people who are living in the
region," EU Ambassador to India Daniele Smadja told reporters
after meeting moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
Asked whether the EU considers Kashmir as a "disputed
territory", Smadja said "there are some issues which you have
to settle by yourselves".
"We have been coming every year like we travel in
other parts of the country because this is our task as an
ambassador to reach out to all parts of the country," she
said.
The delegation comprising Smadja, Irish Ambassador
Kenneth Thompson, Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesan, EU
delegation's First Secretary Philipp Gross and delegation's
attache Anne Vaugier-Chatterjee met Mirwaiz, former Hurriyat
chairman Abdul Gani Bhat and Bilal Ahmad Lone at Mirwaiz's
Nigeen residence.
"There is an internal dimension to the Kashmir issue
as well as external dimension because there has been
international commitments which have not been fulfilled. And
if international community cannot mediate, but they can
facilitate the solution," Mirwaiz said soon after meeting the
delegation.
The moderate Hurriyat leader said the people of
Kashmir would contribute if there is any positive development
between India and Pakistan.
"They told us that behind the scene European Union is
trying to encourage both the countries to solve the issues
through dialogue," Mirwaiz said.
Earlier, the EU delegation met the Chairman of Jammu
and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Mohammad Yasin Malik, who
appealed the EU to use its influence with India and Pakistan
to take solid and constructive measures to address Kashmir
issue.
"European Union has friendly ties with both India and
Pakistan and our sincere appeal is to use the influence to
make the two countries agree to demonstrate sincerity to
resolve Kashmir issue," Malik told the delegation.
"The two countries need to take solid and constructive
steps to address this long standing and dangerous issue,
rather than sticking to the past exercise of cosmetic
measures," Malik said.
The JKLF chief said besides the world, New Delhi and
Islamabad should accept that Kashmir is not a border dispute
between India and Pakistan but an issue concerning the future
of crores of Kashmiris.
"Kashmir is not only a political issue but a human
issue as well," he said urging the European Union to play its
role in resolution of the issue.
Terming Kashmiris as a basic party to the dispute,
Malik said the involvement of the people of Kashmir in the
talks and decision making is imperative to find an everlasting
solution to the problem.
Malik briefed the delegation about the genesis of
Kashmir problem, transition from violence to non-violence and
alleged human rights violations.