Kuala lumpur: Malaysia will continue to leverage various international platforms, including the United Nations (UN), the UN Security Council, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), BRICS, and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), towards achieving a comprehensive resolution to the conflict in West Asia.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stated that Malaysia was among the first countries to express support for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the United States (US) and Iran signed last Wednesday. Malaysia will continue to monitor subsequent negotiations to help ensure stability in the region.
The Rembau Member of Parliament mentioned that Malaysia would also continue to provide moral support and play an active role in international efforts to ease tensions in the region, which have triggered a global supply crisis following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He highlighted the recent MoU between the US and Iran, which provides a 60-day period for both countries to negotiate and ratify the matters agreed upon under the agreement. The MoU contains 14 provisions, including efforts to rebuild Iran's damaged infrastructure, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces, including from Lebanon.
Mohamad further noted that Malaysia is pursuing indirect approaches, such as extending support to countries involved in the conflict and holding discussions with the President-elect of the UN General Assembly to strengthen international support for resolving the conflict. He personally contacted his counterparts from Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to express Malaysia's moral support.
However, he pointed out that the Zionist regime does not want the peace efforts to succeed and continues to threaten stability in the region. As such, Mohamad emphasized that international pressure on Israel must be maintained to compel it to halt its military operations in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and other territories.
Addressing a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, he identified one of the main challenges in exerting pressure on Israel as the United States' use of its veto power in the UN Security Council, which has been utilized 31 times to protect Israel.