LOC17:32
14:32 GMT
ISTANBUL, June 21 (KUNA) -- Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmad Aboul-Gheit said the Middle East region is going through a critical phase, stressing that recent developments especially the Israeli occupation's attack on Iran and the resulting dangerous spiral of escalation once again highlight the grave risks of leaving prolonged conflicts unresolved or without a fair and sustainable settlement.
In a speech delivered during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which began its work in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Saturday, Aboul-Gheit noted that the Israeli occupation still believes that violence alone brings security, and that peace can be imposed through brute force.
He added, "This is a delusion we had assumed history had dispelled. Here we are, after long decades of the occupation practicing violence, oppression, and subjugation against the Palestinian people and others, returning to square one. Neither the desired security has been achieved, nor has peace become any closer."
He condemned the military campaign launched by the occupation against Iran "at a time when everyone was seeking a diplomatic solution that could be reached with some patience, understanding, and sincere willingness to accept compromises based on the logic of coexistence not the law of force and brutality."
He explained that militarily targeting any nuclear facilities entails major risks that threaten civilians both within Iran and in its surrounding region, "and this is something that is unacceptable."
He pointed out that the Arab League had previously, and at the highest levels, emphasized the necessity of ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons, halting the race to acquire them, and also reaffirmed the need for the Israeli occupation to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Aboul Gheit called on all parties to swiftly return to the negotiating table, adding, "There was a time, when intentions were sincere, that diplomatic solutions were reached to address legitimate concerns about Iran's nuclear program through unified international political will."
He continued, "It is still possible today, and there are countries in the region and beyond that seek and call for peace, fully aware of the grave danger of slipping into an endless cycle of conflict and retaliation consequences that will affect the entire region and even threaten global security and stability. Expanding this war will benefit no one."
He emphasized that "the severity and gravity of current events must not, and will not, distract from the central cause the cause of the Palestinian people, who to this moment are facing the daily crimes of the occupation."
In this context, Aboul Gheit pointed out that "in a single day last week, 140 Palestinians were killed in front of food distribution centers that turned into deadly traps, worsening the tragedy of deliberate starvation used as a weapon in blatant violation of all laws of war, humanitarian norms, and moral charters."
He went on to say, "All this is happening while, unfortunately, some still use the veto to protect the occupation and allow it to commit more crimes," noting that, "this is a stain on the conscience of humanity. Future generations will look back on it with sorrow, shame, and disbelief at the deafening silence surrounding crimes committed in broad daylight and in cold blood."
He added, "I will continue to repeat this glaring truth one that supporters and backers of the Israeli occupation try to evade and conceal that the occupation is the root cause of tension and instability in the region. The cost of its continuation is these horrors and atrocities. The war criminals are still willing to drag the region and the world into further violence, bloodshed, and hatred to implement their imagined plans of ethnic cleansing and the erasure of the Palestinian cause."
He stressed that "rescuing the Palestinian people from this daily criminality has become a humanitarian, moral, and even religious duty before it is a political necessity. Leaving the reins to extremists obsessed with violence and shows of power will only drag the region into a certain catastrophe, the price of which will be paid by future generations." (pickup previous)
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