Oman’s Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, who is the current Chairman of the GCC Ministerial Council, said unless these “massacres are halted, the credibility of the UN Security Council decisions will be affected.”
He explained the position of Oman and those of other GCC countries on the ongoing conflict in Palestine during a meeting with ambassadors of the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, Libya, Turkey, Austria and Japan, permanent and non-permanent member states of the UN Security Council.
Speaking to reporters after the joint meeting, Engin Turker, Turkish Ambassador to Oman, said his country had been supporting the Palestinians since the beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza Strip.
It had also been trying through diplomatic channels to find solutions to the problem, recalling the Turkish Prime Minister’s recent visit to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria to discuss the situation.
“As a member of the Security Council, we have already requested the Security Council that there should be a ceasefire and, of course, Turkey will continue exerting all efforts to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.
“What is happening in Palestine is a real human tragedy, which is beyond anything acceptable,” Turker said.
He added: “We are demanding that the United Nations Security Council adopt a resolution to cease fire and Israel to stop its aggression on the Palestinian people.”
The entire international community, he noted, was against “what is happening in Gaza, and despite these sentiments for the cessation of the sufferings of Palestine, still there is no ceasefire.”
He said Abdallah, the Omani minister, requested the meeting with the ambassadors to seek their urgent support for efforts to bring about an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
He added: “I believe, as a peace-loving country, Oman is doing its best… The reason why we have been invited, as members of the Security Council, is just to let us know the expectations of Oman from the Security Council members.”
Turker observed that as long as a ceasefire decision was not adopted in the council, the bloodshed would continue in Palestine.
“Only with a ceasefire,” he said, “can something be done for the sufferings of the people, who have been deprived basics like medicine, food, fuel and also their human rights.”
