UNITED NATIONS UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has broken his silence over the month-long unrest in Indian-occupied Kashmir, urging India and Pakistan to make renewed efforts to address the decades-old dispute. In relation to recent developments in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Secretary-General is concerned over the prevailing security situation there over the past month, Farhan Haq, Bans spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday. He calls on all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and address problems peacefully, it added. Ban is the first international leader to react to the deteriorating situation in the Kashmir valley where seventeen civilians have been killed in raging street protests that saw demonstrators regularly clashing with police attempting to disperse them. Indian responded by deploying army troops to quell the riots. The UN Chief also asked India and Pakistan to make renewed efforts to address outstanding issues, including Kashmir. Calling on all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and address problems peacefully, Ban encouraged both sides to rekindle the spirit of the composite dialogue, which was initiated in 2004 and had made encouraging progress on some important confidence-building measures. Ban also underlined the need for patience, perseverance and compromise on all sides. Indias External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi met in Islamabad on July 15 to resume the stalled peace talks. However, the talks failed to make any progress.