KAMPALA: Kuwait reaffirmed the consistency between its stance and that of other Arab and Muslim nations regarding the urgency of immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reopening the border crossings to allow delivery of life-saving aid to residents there.
The State of Kuwait is firmly opposed to any attempt to evict the Palestinian people forcibly from their occupied territories, the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Tareq M Al-Bannai said in a speech to the 19th ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, Uganda. He represents His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the 19th NAM Summit on Jan 19-20 and the third South Summit of Group 77 and China on Jan 21-11.
"The Palestinian people have been suffering from brutalities and atrocities at the hands of the Zionist occupation forces over the past 56 years. It is high time to break the cycle of brutal violence against them, Ambassador Al-Bannai, also Kuwait’s chief delegate to the ministerial, said. "There is no way forward other than establishing full, durable and comprehensive peace based on the relevant UN resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative to prepare the ground for the independent sovereign State of Palestine within the Jun 4, 1967, borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he made clear.
On behalf of Kuwait, Ambassador Al-Bannai welcomed the genocide case brought by the Republic of South Africa to the International Court of Justice against the Zionist occupation entity for the ongoing atrocities in the Gaza Strip. He quoted late South African leader Nelson Mandela as saying "We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”
He also praised the active role played by the NAM over the past six decades in lobbying for the Palestine question and standing against the flagrant violations being committed by the Zionist occupation authorities against the Palestinian people on a daily basis. Since Bandung Conference in April 1955 (which eventually led to the creation of NAM), the movement has been able to overcome numerous challenges and continue the march towards realizing the common aspirations of its member countries, he noted.
Kuwait has been, and will continue to be, supportive of all efforts to promote development and prosperity in NAM countries and the world at large, Ambassador Al-Bannai pledged. Kuwait will maintain full support to the valiant struggle of the Palestinian people against the brutal aggression by the Zionist occupation forces, he said.
Reaffirming Kuwait’s resolve to continue exposing the serious crimes of the Zionist occupation forces at all regional and international forums, he said, "We are duty-bound to stand by our brothers in Palestine who have been undergoing brutal Zionist entity war over 100+ days. "Under the eyes of the international community, the Zionist war on Gaza has claimed more than 23,000 innocent lives, with half of the figure being women and children, in addition to 57,000 injuries and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, he pointed out.
Ambassador Al-Bannai criticized the silence of the international community at the atrocities in the occupied Palestinian territories and the failure of the UN Security Council to shoulder its mandate to protect international peace and security.
He renewed Kuwait’s call for overhauling the Security Council and other UN bodies, including the financial institutions, in a way that would make them able to respond to regional and international challenges. Al-Bannai thanked Azerbaijan for its successful presidency of NAM over the past four years, expressing best wishes for Uganda, the new presidency of the Movement (2024-2027). — KUNA