Russia-Arab ministers stress need to guarantee security of maritime traffic

MARRAKESH : Russia-Arab ministers stressed on Wednesday the need to guarantee the safety and security of maritime traffic in the Gulf and the Red Sea, a final communique by the Russia-Arab Cooperation forum said.

The ministers condemned “acts that target the security and safety of maritime traffic and facilities, energy supplies, oil pipelines and facilities,” they said after the forum was held in Marrakech.

They also “strongly condemned the Israeli aggressive war” on Palestinians in Gaza and rejected justifying it as self-defense, the communique added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, representing Moscow at the meeting, expressed hope that the UN Security Council would adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The UN Security Council was supposed to vote on a resolution calling for a pause to the Israel-Hamas war on Tuesday after being postponed from Monday.

However, the voting process didn’t go through on Tuesday and was postponed yet again to Wednesday, with differences over the text.

“We hope that the Security Council will raise its voice for a mature resolution [calling for a ceasefire],” Lavrov said.

“We have agreed to continue coordination within the United Nations.”

The forum, which usually focuses on diplomatic and economic ties, was dominated by the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the meeting was attended by Lavrov and diplomats from the 22-member Arab League.

“We hope that the Security Council can adopt this resolution and that there will not be a veto from a permanent member, notably the United States,” said Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary general of the league.

“The Arab hope is that the United States understands that international patience is exhausted in the face of Israel’s practices.”

For his part, the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit said during his virtual participation at the forum that “those who stand against an immediate ceasefire in Gaza have the blood of innocent people on their hands.”

Aboul Gheit added that the Arab League values countries that have decided since the beginning “to side with the right side of history.”

He also warned that Israel’s plan is “now clear and that is to destroy the Palestinian community in Gaza…or forcibly displace its people… to separate them from their land and [hence] end the Palestinian cause …[but this] will never happen.”

Courtesy: alarabiya