LOC23:55
20:55 GMT
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 15 (KUNA) - Malaysia on Thursday urged the General
Assembly to call for the establishment of a tribunal to investigate and
prosecute the Israeli officials responsible for the war crimes and crimes
against humanity commited in the Gaza Strip.
Malaysian UN envoy Hamidon Ali also told the Assembly's 10th emergency
special session convened to discuss the situation in the Strip that "sanctions
must be imposed for non-compliance."
He expressed disappointment that one week after ceasefire resolution 1860
was adopted, the Security Council, which is entrusted to maintain peace and
security, "seems to be in a trance as to the next course of action to take
towards ensuring the implementation of its resolution."
Iranian UN envoy Mohammad Khazaee told the Assembly that the "outrageous
crimes committed during these 20 days have left no excuse for the
international community not to take urgent action to stop Israeli war machine
and to prosecute its leaders."
He said the Israeli regime's leaders and military commanders "must be
indicted and prosecuted for grave violations of international law and for
committing multiple crimes against humanity and war crimes."
The Security Council and the International Criminal Court "should exercise
their responsibility to bring the criminals to justice and prevent impunity."
He also suggested that the Assembly also take "necessary measures" to put
in place an arrangement or mechanism to investigate the crimes committed by
the Israeli regime against the Palestinian People in the Gaza Strip.
In his opening remarks, General Assembly President Father Miguel D'Escoto
expressed regret that the "relentless onslaught continues in Gaza. Gaza is
ablaze. It has been turned into a real burning hell."
He criticized Security Council ceasefire resolution 1860 of "double- talk."
Its demand for a ceasefire was "undermined by the insistence that it be
both immediate and durable. This is double-talk."
He suggested that the resolution the Assembly will adopt later in the day
"must reflect the urgency of this moment and the urgency of our commitment to
end this slaughter."
"We do not have time for long complicated resolutions, recalling every
previous positioon and reexamining every unfilled mandate," he said.
An Arab diplomat told KUNA that the resolution being prepared by the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) troika - Malaysia, Cuba and Egypt - will be
"simple. It will call for a ceasefire, humanitarian assistance and the
implementation of resolution 1860." (end)
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