By Arul Louis

United Nations, Nov 1 (IANS): Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned about the situation in Kashmir and is clear that it can only be resolved when human rights is respected, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.

Asked by a reporter at the noon briefing on Thursday about Kashmir being made into a Union Territory and losing its flag and Constitution, Haq said he was reiterating "our basic concerns that the Secretary-General has previously expressed, his concerns about the situation in Kashmir".

"We make clear, particularly as the Human Right Commissioner (Michele Bachelet) has made clear, the situation in Kashmir can only be solved with full respect for human rights," he said.

Guterres has met with representatives of India and Pakistan at their request to discuss the situation and he has appealed to both sides to deal with the situation through dialogue, he added.

At the stroke of midnight on October 31, what was the state of Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories -- (1)Jammu and Kashmir and (2) Ladakh.

This follows the central government's decision in August to revoke Article 370 of the constitution that gave Kashmir special status and Parliament passing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act to make the change.