Shehbaz, other leaders meet Trump who ‘wants’ to focus on Gaza

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended a meeting hosted by Qatar and the US on Tuesday where he will exchange views on different issues, including Gaza, with President Donald Trump.

Speaking on the occasion, Trump described the meeting as the most important one. However, no details were made public after the leaders continued their discussion for around one hour.

But on Wednesday, Politico reported that Trump promised the Muslim leaders that he would not allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to annex the occupied West Bank.

Earlier, Reuters reported that a person familiar with the matter said the participants will discuss Gaza while Axios said Trump was set to present the group with a proposal for peace and post-war governance in Gaza Strip.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump will hold a multilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan.

The meeting came on a day which saw Trump rejecting the decision of France and other European states to recognise the Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly where he again mentioned his efforts to end “seven wars”, including the one between Pakistan and India.

Read more: Trump boasts about ending seven wars, questions UN role

UNIFIED APPROACH

And before this statement, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq held consultations with the representatives of influential Muslim countries — the ones mentioned by the White House — to develop a unified approach to address different issues.

Read more: Dar consults top Muslim nations for unified stance

Earlier on Monday, Shehbaz Sharif reached New York from London to attend the UN General Assembly — an annual event held this year at time when tensions are rising in the volatile Middle East while the Trump tariffs have produced a global trade war with each nation trying secure its economic interests at every cost.

Read more: Shehbaz in New York for UN General Assembly

In his address to the UN Assembly and interactions heads of state and governments, the prime minister will focus on the crisis in Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinians as well as “Pakistan’s perspective on the regional security situation”, climate change, terrorism, Islamophobia, and sustainable development.

WHAT DOES TRUMP WANT

In addition to freeing hostages and ending the war, Trump is expected to discuss US plans around an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza, without Hamas involvement, according to Axios.

Washington wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.

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