KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Malaysia will continue to work towards seeking solutions on the issues of ethnic Rohingya, Syria and Palestine despite the chess game of international politics which prevents concrete actions to be taken, says Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.
According to him, Malaysia will continue to raise the issue of Rohingya at international level especially within the framework of Asean, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations.
“Among the solutions put forward by Malaysia involved Myanmar giving citizenship to ethnic Rohingya, repatriation of ethnic Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar and the assurance on halting all forms of oppression and cruelty on Rohingya as well as taking action against individuals infringing human rights according to international laws,” he said during oral question-and-answer session at Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin was replying to Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (BN-Beluran) who wanted to know the direction and continuous role played by Malaysia in the effort to resolve regional and international conflicts such as the Rohingya, Syria and Palestine issues.
On the situation in Syria, Saifuddin said the conflict in the country which began in 2011, has developed into an armed crisis which was seriously threatening regional and international stability.
Malaysia opined that peace efforts among the parties involved in Syria could be achieved through the concept of moderation as well as tolerance between all parties for the good of Syrians as a whole, he said.
He said Malaysia was also urging all conflicting parties in Syria to respect international humanitarian laws including providing access to humanitarian aid and protect public infrastructure and the people such as children, humanitarian mission convoys, schools and hospitals.
In this regard, Saifuddin said Malaysia was among the vocal voices to champion the fate of the Palestinians and was providing undivided support in their struggle in terms of political, economic and social aspects.
He said the latest effort by Malaysia at international level was the Meeting of the OIC Committee of Six on Palestine which was held on Sept 23 at the 73rd United Nations Assembly.
“Malaysia denounced all actions of the Israel regime to prevent efforts to find peace through two-state solution as well as calling on OIC member countries to condemn Israel’s actions and defend the human rights of Palestinians and the sovereignty of Jerusalem.
“Apart from that, the OIC Open Executive Committee meeting to discuss the decisions of the Sixth and Seventh Emergency Summit on Sept 26 at the UN, agreed that OIC member countries continued to put pressure on Israel as a sign of support for Palestine and forced Israel to stop the violation of international laws and atrocities in Palestine,” he said. — Bernama
