Anwar raises Palestine, Myanmar issues during bilateral meeting with UN sec-gen

JAKARTA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today discussed Palestine and Myanmar issues as well as ASEAN-United Nations (UN) cooperation during his bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

During the meeting on the sideline of the 43rd ASEAN Summit here, the Prime Minister reiterated Malaysia's commitment to work closely with the UN and ASEAN, particularly on efforts to find a peaceful political situation for Myanmar.

Meanwhile, ASEAN leaders in a Chairman's Statement released on Thursday, reiterated their position that the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) remains as ASEAN's main reference to address Myanmar's political crisis.

Anwar and fellow ASEAN leaders strongly condemned the continued escalation of violence which has caused prolonged suffering for the people of Myanmar, humanitarian crisis, the destruction of houses and public facilities and adverse impacts on regional stability, particularly along the border region.

They are also gravely concerned by the lack of substantial progress on its implementation by the authority in Myanmar, despite their commitment to the 5PC in April 2021.

"We reaffirmed our commitment to continued and sustainable ASEAN's ongoing strategies and approach to help the people of Myanmar find peaceful, comprehensive and durable solutions," they noted.

On Palestine, Anwar and ASEAN leaders expressed concern over the developments in the Middle East region and reiterated the need for a comprehensive, just and sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in order to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East region.

Leaders also urged both sides to actively take positive steps to allow for negotiations to gain traction and work together towards the resumption of negotiations to achieve an enduring peace.

"We fully supported the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent State of Palestine with the realisation of two states, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the statement read.

-- BERNAMA