United Nations, Apr 01: Pakistan has called for strengthening the United Nations Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) "substantially" to enable it to "assist in the on-going peace process as well as protect human rights in Kashmir." India does not now recognise the Group which was set up in 1949 to monitor ceasefire agreed to by India and Pakistan. "As the diplomatic climate in South Asia improves, we feel that UNMOGIP can play a vital role in confidence-building in the region," Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram said.

Addressing the Special Committee on Peace-Keeping Operations yesterday, he said this is a "historic opportunity" which the UN must not miss." The United Nations is currently fielding 14 peacekeeping missions worldwide and at least five new missions will be deployed in the next few months in the greatest ever expansion of such operations. Bureau Report