Oman takes part in Foreign Ministers' Council meeting at OIC

Oman condemned the continuation of Israeli attacks, arbitrary policies and illegal criminal practices in Gaza and reaffirmed the right of peoples to resist occupation and for self-determination guaranteed by international principles and conventions.

The remarks were made in a speech by Ambassador Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashel Al-Maskari, Head of the Foreign Ministry's GCC Department, during an extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The Ambassador called on the international community to take action to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza, allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and hold Israel accountable for its crimes.

Sheikh Ahmed said Israel's arbitrary policies towards defenseless Palestinian civilians clearly threatened the safety and stability of the region, including international shipping navigation.

He said Oman had called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue a ruling that would put an immediate end to the illegal and illegitimate status of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. The request was made in an oral argument before the ICJ on February 23.

The Ambassador said Oman had stressed the importance of immediate action to launch a serious political process to revive peace through an international conference with the participation of all parties.

Such an international effort must include the recognition of the Palestinian state, full membership of the United Nations and the establishment of an independent sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the borders of June 4, 1967.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.