International News

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 21 (APP): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi, briefed UN Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres on the situation in South Asia and Afghanistan when she called on him on Wednesday, according to informed sources. In her first meeting with Guterres after the General Assembly unanimously elected him as the new UN chief on Oct. 13, Ambassador Lodhi also discussed with him both the opportunities and challenges confronting the world, the sources said, without elaborating. At the outset, the Pakistani envoy conveyed congratulations to the secretary-general-designate on behalf of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz. On his part, Guterres expressed his deep admiration for Pakistan’s resilience, not just in hosting refugees, but also in confronting the challenges it has faced over the years. He fondly recalled his various visits to Pakistan and the excellent cooperation that he had received as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a post he held for 10 years. As UNHCR, Guterres, who will formally take over as UN secretary-general on January 1, 2017, has visited Pakistan six times. Guterres, 67, was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.