Oman Minister, in Assembly address, urges ‘unified position’ on Mid-east crises
New and old crises in the Middle East are being exacerbated by the lack of international consensus on the paths to assist the concerned parties in resolving them, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Oman told the United Nations General Assembly today, urging a “unified position” to tackle the region’s main challenges, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdullah, told the Assembly, on the final day of its annual General Debate, that while the Palestinians have shown willingness to enter into a genuine partnership in peace with Israel based on the two-state solutions, Israel has not shown any responsible cooperation as it continues to resort to military force as a tool to achieve its security.
“Security and stability cannot be achieved through the use of excessive force and the insistence to inflict heavy loss of lives, injuries and destruction on the largest possible scale,” he said, stressing that the pat to achieving security and stability that underpins economic and social recovery can only be realized through partnership in peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Mr. Abdullah said that Oman believes there is a chance now to achieve this objective following the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides after the latest violence in Gaza. “We stress the importance that the two sides stick to this agreement and avoid any violations under any justifications or pretexts.”
Turning to other regional issues, he urged the international community to redouble efforts to encourage the Syrian Government and the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to return to the negotiating table based on the Geneva Communique. “The two parties should approach these negotiations in a positive manner by focusing on areas of consensus and avoiding negative aspects and positions, with the aim being to save the Syrian people from further suffering and tragedies,” he added.
As for the situation in Yemen, Mr. Abdullah welcomed the recent agreement on peace and partnership signed by Yemen’s President and political powers in that country and he called upon all political partners, particularly Ansar Allah, to comply with that accord. “We call upon all political powers in Yemen to renounce violence and uphold the outcome of the National Dialogue Conference being the best available roadmap to solve the current crisis.”
Noting that there are several ways to avoid violence and extremism, including the consolidation of good governance and sustainable development that would provide the opportunity for all segments of the society, especially the youth, he said that in that regard, Oman has established a complete and interlinked system encompassing the principles of good governance, including councils and institutions that aim at protecting the society and the youth and guaranteeing their participation in the development process.