FMs of Pakistan, Palestine, Turkey leave for NY to attend UNGA meeting

ANKARA: The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey left Ankara for New York on Wednesday to participate in the UN General Assembly’s urgent session to discuss the “grave deterioration” of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and Palestine’s Riyad al Maliki departed via a special flight of the Turkish government to jointly raise a voice on the plight of the Palestinians.

The UNGA session has been convened in response to a request from the chairmen of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Group at the UN and the Arab Group in a joint letter to Assembly President Volkan Bozkir.

The letter was signed by Niger’s Ambassador Abdou Abarry, who is chairman of the OIC Group, and Algeria’s Ambassador Sofiane Mimouni, who heads the Arab Group.

Qureshi will lead Pakistan’s delegation to the General Assembly session on “The situation in the Middle East” and the “Question of Palestine”. The foreign minister is on diplomatic mission to support Palestine, under special instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Separately, amid growing concern over the United States’ blocking of UN Security Council’s efforts to issue a public statement seeking the de-escalation’ of Israel-Palestine hostilities, France has stepped forward with a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the devastated Gaza Strip, according to diplomats. The French move at the 15-member council reportedly surprised the Biden administration, which blocked three previous Security Council statements on Gaza. Analysts believe that the French could use the draft resolution to get the US to apply more pressure on Israel to stop its deadly military operation. Israeli air strikes in Gaza have killed at least 217 Palestinians, including 63 children, since May 10, the enclave’s health ministry said.

Meanwhile, France circulated its draft to several members of the Council on Tuesday. The move was coordinated with Egypt and Jordan following a summit between French President Emmanuel Macron, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and King Abdullah of Jordan. “The three countries agreed on three simple elements: The shooting must stop, the time has come for a ceasefire and the UN Security Council must take up the issue.”