WITH Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) members convened in San Francisco unable to reach agreement on remarks regarding the conflict in Gaza, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei banded together separately to call for an immediate truce leading to a ceasefire.
The three nations stood their ground in demanding all Apec economies not to be partial in their geopolitical views and only acknowledge the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This forced the Apec Ministerial Meeting chair to issue a statement to express the three countries’ concern over Gaza.
In response to the Apec chair’s statement today, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia have called for a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that can only be achieved by peaceful means, based on the relevant UN resolutions.
They based their stance on United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/ES-10/L.25 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2712. They advocated an approach in accordance with international law, citing the two-state solution, based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
“We, the leaders of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia, welcome the 2023 Apec Economic Leaders’ Golden Gate Declaration, which reflects consensus on all economic issues of common concern.
“We, therefore, agreed to issue the following statement to give a better and fair reflection of the discussions on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza during the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
“We noted with grave concern the immense human suffering and the adverse impact of wars and conflicts around the world. We underscored that conflicts can have significant consequences for the global economy.
“We called for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
“We also underscored the need for an immediate, continuous, sufficient and unhindered provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip,” the three countries said.
They also expressed similar concerns over the Russia-Ukraine war expressed in fora, citing similar sentiments and the agreed resolutions in the UN.
They cited the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, which, in Resolution No. ES-11/1 dated 2 March 2022 as adopted by majority vote deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine.
Most members strongly condemn the aggression against Ukraine and underscore the need to reach a just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter, including the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of Ukraine.
“The war in Ukraine has further aggravated the ongoing food security crisis around the world, especially in developing and least developed countries.
“We note with deep concern the adverse impact of the war in Ukraine and stress that it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy – constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks,” they said.
They said the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.
“We exchanged views on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Leaders, including the United States, shared their respective positions. Some leaders also shared the united messages of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on 11 November 2023.
“Some leaders objected to the inclusion of this language in the accompanying 2023 Apec Leaders’ Golden Gate Declaration on the basis that they do not believe that Apec is a forum to discuss geopolitical issues,” they said. - The Vibes, November 17, 2023
