Pakistan regrets US veto on Palestine’s full UN membership: FO

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expressed its disappointment on the United Nations Security Council’s inability to reach a consensus on Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations, also regretting the US decision to veto the draft resolution.

“Pakistan is deeply disappointed by the result of last night’s debate at UNSC and its inability to reach a consensus and recommend Palestine’s membership to UNGA. We regret the US decision to veto the draft resolution granting full membership of the UN to Palestine,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly press briefing.

“We believe, the time has come for admission of Palestine to the UN. This will be a step towards correcting the historic injustice suffered by Palestinians for over 75 years. It will affirm their right to self-determination,” she remarked.

The spokesperson said that the people of Palestine had their inherent right to live in a sovereign Palestinian state with the pre-1967 borders and Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

The Security Council blocked Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the United Nations due to a United States veto on a widely-supported resolution that would have recommended the granting of such status.

The proposal, submitted in the 15-member Council by Algeria, received 12 votes in favour, with the United States casting a negative vote and Switzerland and the United Kingdom abstaining.

A Council resolution requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from its five permanent members — China, France, the Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — to pass.

To a question, the spokesperson said the upcoming OIC summit in Gambia would consider several proposals including those on Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir as well as Islamophobia.

The spokesperson said that during the recent visit of a high-powered Saudi delegation to Islamabad, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan had also called for de-escalation, immediate ceasefire, and lifting of the siege in Gaza. The stumbling block in the implementation of the ceasefire is the Israeli occupation authorities, she added.

Apprising the media of the diplomatic engagements during the last week, she started with the visit of Saudi delegation to accelerate discussions and enhance cooperation in the follow-up of understanding reached between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the former’s recent visit to the Kingdom.

She said at the investment conference held during the visit, both sides discussed investment projects in energy, mining, IT, construction, human resource development, and exports.

She said during the “very positive and constructive” visit, Pakistan discussed several projects for Saudi investment and expressed the hope that both sides would conclude their negotiations soon to materialise the projects.