00:00Bilal Bhutto Zadhari is a former foreign minister of Pakistan and chairman of the Pakistan People's Party and he joins
00:07us now.
00:07Good day to you. Thank you so much for your time. Are you hearing of any signs of a breakthrough
00:13so far?
00:15Thank you so much. Well, the biggest breakthrough is that we have this inspiring place.
00:19We have both warring parties here in Islamabad ready to negotiate after six weeks of a conflict that we saw
00:31had a huge cost in terms of human life,
00:36but also the economic cost that was felt all over the world.
00:39So that those are the best signs so far that diplomacy is is being successful and diplomacy is really.
00:49Dialogue and diplomacy are really the only true path to peace and stability in the region.
00:56Yeah, I mean, these talks in themselves are hugely historic and significant.
00:59Are you hearing any confirmation that Iran and U.S. are actually face to face talking directly or are we
01:08still at the sort of shuttle diplomacy stage?
01:11I think that the very fact that both high-powered delegations are already in Islamabad suggests that those negotiations are
01:24very much taking place and going.
01:27As to the exact configurations of those negotiations and where across the sort of negotiating table everybody is sitting,
01:36that I'm not exactly aware, but I am confident that the dialogue is taking place.
01:42You know, there's a great deal of rhetoric from both sides. We've seen it just this morning again.
01:47Emotions are running very, very high. We know that Iran has named their delegation after the schoolchildren that were bombed
01:53by the U.S.
01:54I wonder how a mediator helps build trust in a context as heightened as this.
02:01I think that there clearly is already quite a significant degree of trust in Pakistan,
02:10both from Iran and from the United States.
02:16Again, the biggest proof of that being the fact that they're both here having these conversations.
02:23Beyond that, the confidence building measures really need to be from both sides and between the two warring parties
02:32in order for us to achieve a middle ground towards a more permanent peace.
02:39Do you believe that Israel's attacks on Lebanon, which continue, have the power to scupper these talks?
02:48I think that there are many challenges in any negotiations, in any dialogue.
02:56Whenever, if we were negotiating a trade treaty, there would be many challenges and negotiations
03:03that would complicate any aspect of diplomacy.
03:07Not least one with the context of the current, with the context that is surrounding the current peace talks in
03:16Islam.
03:17But there are many complicated factors, one of which at least was the strikes from Israel in Lebanon,
03:25given that the 10 points provided by Iran that were subsequently endorsed by President Trump
03:33that were to form the basis of these talks, did include the country of Lebanon as part of the ceasefire.
03:43So obviously the aspect that these strikes are continuing would presumably complicate matters.
03:51I also note that talks are taking place between the government of Lebanon and Israel.
04:01So that I see side by side as perhaps a development in that context.
04:07Thank you so much for your time, Bilawal Bhutto Zodhari, former foreign minister of Pakistan
04:11and also the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party.
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