SRINAGAR, Aug 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the resolution to issues facing the Union Territory would come from the Centre and not the United States, ahead of his scheduled meeting with visiting US Ambassador Sergio Gor.
Abdullah said he would discuss Jammu and Kashmir and the region’s current situation with Gor, but would not seek Washington’s intervention or raise complaints about the country.
“The resolution to our issues will not come from Washington; the resolution to our problems lies with our central government,” Abdullah told reporters.
The Chief Minister said it had been a long time since he had met a US ambassador and indicated that he would listen to Gor during their meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
“Let him come; we will sit and talk,” Abdullah said.
He added, “Let’s see what kind of conversation takes place when he comes to meet this afternoon.”
Abdullah said he expected the meeting to involve listening from both sides, while indicating that he would prefer to hear what the US envoy had to say.
“I will certainly discuss Jammu and Kashmir and our current situation, but I will neither complain nor seek solutions to our grievances from them,” he said.
The Chief Minister also said it would be inappropriate for him to complain about India’s internal issues to a representative of another country.
“It has never been my habit to lodge complaints about my country to an ambassador of another country,” Abdullah said.
Gor is visiting Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, his first trip to the Union Territory since taking charge as US Ambassador to India. He is scheduled to meet Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha during his stay in Srinagar before travelling to Ladakh.
