Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Gaza Under Siege: Malaysia's efforts not in vain

Malaysia’s efforts to get the United Nations to hold a special session to discuss Israel’s brutalities in Gaza have not been in vain as the world body has agreed to hold the session in New York tomorrow, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

“I am satisfied that the efforts by Malaysia so far have not been in vain.

God willing, the main objective of getting the UN to hold the meeting will be achieved,” he said in his office here.

Abdullah said that he received a letter today, dated Jan 12, from UN General Assembly president Miguel Brockman, informing him about the special session.

In the letter, Brockman acknowledged having received two letters from Abdullah, dated Jan 7 and 10, and that he had decided to call the meeting tomorrow.
The UN General Assembly president had earlier issued a notice to all UN members that he would be calling the session on Jan 8.

However, Brockman deferred the session to a later date following the UN Security Council meeting, in which a resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza was passed.

Abdullah said that in the letter, Brockman had expressed gratitude to Malaysia’s firm stance on the matter.

The UN’s ultimate objectives in Gaza, said Abdullah, would be a cease-fire which must be adhered to by all, a complete pullout of Israeli forces, and the dismantling of blockades imposed by Israel on Gaza.

Should Israel refused to implement the objectives, Abdullah said, the UN Security Council must pass a resolution to pave the way for the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces to enforce the cease-fire.

In a special session on Monday, Malaysian parliament passed a 10-point resolution which, among other things, called on the UN to hold a special session with a theme of “Uniting For Peace”. The parliament session followed the failure of the UN Security Council resolution to force Israel to pull out of Gaza.

More than 900 Palestinians have been killed since Israel invaded the area on Dec 27.

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