(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) NEW YORK, July 29 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassem Al-Budaiwi reaffirmed that regional stability begins with the establishment of the State of Palestine on the world's legal and diplomatic map.
According to a statement by the GCC Secretariat, Al-Budaiwi made the remarks late on Monday during a at the high-level ministerial session of the United Nations (UN) Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution held at the United Nation headquarter in New York.
He urged the international community to join the Global Alliance for the implementation of Two-State Solution and officially recognize Palestine as a path to rebuilding trust and achieving genuine peace.
He stressed that the Palestinian cause has remained central to the GCC's conscience since its inception in 1981, saying, "It will remain at the forefront of the Council's priorities as a non-negotiable matter of right and justice."
Al-Budaiwi called on countries that have yet to recognize the State of Palestine to take this sovereign step, describing it as both a political and moral necessity for launching genuine peace negotiations.
He reaffirmed the GCC's commitment to keeping the Palestinian cause present in the conscious of the international community and to continuously counter any attempts to marginalize or bypass it.
He highlighted 2002 as a pivotal moment when the GCC fully endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia "as an integrated strategic vision for achieving a just and lasting peace"
That initiative, he noted, laid a solid foundation for the equation of a possible peace, explicitly calling for "the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, considered an essential condition for any realistic settlement that restores balance and stability in the region."
In his speech, Al-Budaiwi praised countries that have elevated their position to the level of historic responsibility and made the sovereign decision recognize the State of Palestine, describing it as a clear expression of their commitment to international justice, a reflection of the political awareness that peace could not be built on denial, and regional stability.
He sincerely extended an invitation to the remaining countries to recognize Palestine, stating that continued denial of one party's legitimacy perpetuates an imbalance in the peace process and drains negotiations of their meaning.
Al-Budaiwi also reiterated the GCC's firm stances, supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, condemning Israeli occupation ongoing aggression in Gaza, supporting reconstruction efforts, and rejecting settlement policies that undermine the two-state solution.
He condemned the Israeli occupation attacks on Iran, Lebanon, and Syria, warning of their serious impact on regional and international security, maritime navigation, and the UN Charter's principles of sovereignty and peaceful conflict resolution.
Al-Budaiwi condemned the Israeli occupation Knesset's approval of a draft resolution to impose Israeli occupation sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and Jordan Valley.
He called it a blatant violation of international law and UN resolutions, warning that this escalatory step threatens regional stability and renewed his call for the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities in the face of such violations. (end)
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