Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari: 'Diplomacy is the only path to peace and stability'

High-stakes peace talks between the United States and Iran are underway in Islamabad, with both delegations arriving in the Pakistani capital after six weeks of war that has claimed thousands of lives across the region, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and impacted the global economy. 

To discuss Pakistan's role as mediator and what the talks could achieve, CGTN spoke to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan and Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party.

"The biggest breakthrough is that we have a ceasefire in place. We have both warring parties here in Islamabad ready to negotiate," he said. "After six weeks of a conflict that had a huge cost in terms of human life, but also the economic cost that was felt all over the world… Those are the best signs so far that diplomacy is being successful. Diplomacy is really the only true path to peace and stability in the region."

When asked about direct engagement between Iran and the US, Bhutto Zardari pointed out: "As to the exact configurations of those negotiations and where across the negotiating table everybody is sitting, that I'm not exactly aware but I am confident that the dialogue is taking place."

Symbolic gesture

The emotional temperature surrounding the talks remains high. Iran's delegation, Minab 168, has been named after school children killed on the first day of the US strikes in its war against Iran. It is a pointed symbolic gesture that underscores the depth of grievance on the Iranian side. 

Asked how a mediator builds trust in such a charged environment, Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan's existing relationships with both parties were key. 

"There clearly is already quite a significant degree of trust in Pakistan, both from Iran and from the United States, the biggest proof of that being the fact that they're both here having these conversations," he said.

He added that progress would ultimately depend on both sides: "The confidence-building measures really need to be from both sides and between two warring parties in order for us to achieve a middle ground towards a more permanent peace."

One of the most immediate complications hanging over the talks is Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon. 

Iran's ten-point framework, which formed the basis for the Islamabad negotiations and was sufficiently endorsed by US President Donald Trump, explicitly includes Lebanon as part of any ceasefire agreement. Bhutto Zardari acknowledged the difficulty this creates. 

"The fact that these strikes are continuing would presumably complicate matters," he said, while also noting that separate talks between the Lebanese government and Israel were running in parallel. "I see that side by side as perhaps an element in that context."