Have conveyed to American counterpart @SecPompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at… https://t.co/bajmSkh5Ep — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) 1564718980000

BANGKOK: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday made it clear to his American counterpart Mike Pompeo that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally, days after US President Donald Trump offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue .Jaishankar is in the Thailand capital to attend a number of conferences, including the Asean-India Ministerial Meeting, the 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the 26th Asean Regional Forum and the 10th Mekong Ganga Cooperation Ministerial Meeting."Held wide ranging discussions with @SecPompeo on regional issues," Jaishankar tweeted."Have conveyed to American counterpart @SecPompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally," he tweeted.Just hours before the Jaishankar-Pompeo meeting, Trump in Washington once again offered to mediate but said this time that it is up to India and Pakistan on mediation and that he is ready to assist if both the neighbouring countries wanted him to solve the matter."It's really up to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi (to accept the offer of mediation)," Trump told reporters responding to a question on India not accepting his offer of mediation on Kashmir. "Have they accepted the offer or not?", Trump sought a clarification when asked about India's rejection of his mediation offer. "I think they are fantastic people – Khan and Modi – I mean. I would imagine they could get along very well, but if they wanted somebody to intervene, to help them…. and I spoke with Pakistan about that and I spoke frankly in (sic) India about it," Trump said.He rued that the issue of Kashmir had been going on for a long time. When asked how would he "want to resolve the Kashmir issue", Trump said, "If I can, if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene."The Jaishankar-Pompeo talks explainedJaishankar met US Secretary of State Pompeo on the sidelines of the second day of 9th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers meet in Bangkok. This was the first official meeting between the two top officials after President Trump's controversial comments on him mediating between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue.Last month, President Trump offered to be the "mediator" between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue when he met Prime Minister Imran Khan for the first time at the White House.The Indian government, however, dismissed President Trump's astonishing claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate.Pakistan Prime Minister Khan has said that he is ready and welcomed such a move by the US on the Kashmir issue.Trump claimed that Modi and he discussed the issue of Kashmir in Osaka, Japan on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in June, where the Indian prime minister made an offer of a third-party arbitration on Kashmir.In Parliament, EAM Jaishankar had said that all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan can be discussed only bilaterally and Prime Minister Modi made no request to President Trump to mediate on the Kashmir issue with Pakistan."Any engagement with Pakistan will require end to cross border terrorism," he had said, adding Simla and Lahore accords provide the basis for resolution of all issues bilaterally.