French president Emmanuel Macron will discuss tensions in the divided region of Kashmir with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi when the two meet in Paris this week, a French official said on Tuesday (20).
Meanwhile British prime minister Boris Johnson also weighed in on Kashmir Tuesday telling Modi in a phone call that the issue was one for India and Pakistan to resolve between themselves through dialogue.
Macron and Modi are set to sit down for a working dinner at the Chateau de Chantilly outside Paris on Thursday ahead of a G7 summit in France this weekend, to which Modi has been invited.
"Of course it (Kashmir) will be on the agenda," a French diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
"We have a strategic partnership with India, that means having confidence in each other. We are not going to be aggressive towards India, but we expect the Indian prime minister to explain how he sees things."
On August 5, Modi's Hindu nationalist government scrapped the autonomy of Indian-controlled Kashmir, a divided Muslim-majority region that has enjoyed special status in the Indian constitution since the country's independence from Britain in 1947.
The move has enraged many Kashmiris and led to tensions with nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan, which also claims the region.
India resents any outside interference in Kashmir and its Western allies have historically avoided taking public positions on the dispute, despite allegations of human rights abuses there.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said Johnson and Modi discussed the current situation in Kashmir and the British leader "made clear that the UK views the issue of Kashmir is one for India and Pakistan to resolve bilaterally."
Johnson "underlined the importance of resolving issues through dialogue," she added. "They looked forward to meeting at the (G7) summit."
The French diplomat recalled France's similar position that Pakistan and India should resolve their differences between themselves and that both sides should avoid raising tensions.
Modi has been invited to this weekend's Group of Seven meeting of major economic powers in Biarritz and is seen by France as a crucial ally in the fight against climate change.
Macron is hoping the newly re-elected Indian leader will announce new pledges to curb Indian carbon emissions and will also sign up to a coalition of countries to tackle pollution from so-called HFC gases used in refrigerators and air-conditioning.
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)