PUTRAJAYA, 5 Jan 2008: Malaysia today called on the United Nations to convene a special general assembly to find a resolution to the Israeli atrocities against Palestine.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the UN special general assembly could be held on the premise of “unity for peace”.
He said Malaysia’s permanent representative to the UN had been instructed to initiate discussions with contact groups of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to get the UN to convene the special general assembly.
“The world must firmly express itself and demand a resolution of the issue,” he said when addressing the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister’s Department, here.
Abdullah said only a special general assembly could negate any improper action of the United States.
Israel launched air strikes in the Gaza Strip a week ago and killed up to 500 Palestinians, many of them civilians.
Abdullah said the proposed special general assembly would allow for the arguments and decisions of all governments to be heard and considered.
“I hope the United States and its allies will not impede efforts to convene the special general assembly,” he said.
He said the United States had not shown itself to be a responsible major power.
“The United States has the capacity to and can stop the atrocities but they have chosen other options,” he said.
He said the United States should have used its influence to effect a ceasefire but it had not bothered to do so and had instead allowed Israel to commit the atrocities against the Palestinians.
“Worse still, the United States has blocked a UN (Security Council) resolution (calling for an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip). This move is something which the world community cannot have respect for,” he said.
Abdullah said Israel had another motive than its excuse that it was responding to Hamas’s action.
“Israel seems to want to obliterate Palestine. There is a hidden agenda,” he said.
The prime minister said Israel’s atrocities against the Palestinians would not help in the recovery of the world economy but would only lead to tension and one crisis after another.
Abdullah said Malaysia strongly condemned the Israeli action and added that it could not be accepted, especially at this time of a world economic crisis.
On another matter, he said civil servants should remain united because the country demanded “collective action for collective responsibility” in ensuring national economic resilience in the face of a world economic crisis.
He said national economic resilience was achievable only through efficient and effective measures adopted by the administrators and civil servants to further stimulate the economy.
“Do not do anything which can cripple national economic resilience,” he said.
The prime minister said civil servants should regard efforts to boost the national economy as a New Year resolution.
He said Malaysia was not in an economic recession now because of a resilient banking system, a high-level of savings which can be utilised for economic development, and strong domestic consumption.
Domestic consumption rose to eight per cent in the third quarter of last year, taking economic growth during that period to 4.7%, he added. — Bernama
