Saqr Ghobash, speaker of the Federal National Council of the UAE, declared in Cairo that the Palestinian cause has always been among the foreign policy priorities of the United Arab Emirates since it was established, during the 33rd emergency conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Ghobash said that his country did everything possible to protect the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and establishment of the free state.
He started his speech saying that, “The Palestinian cause had been on top of the priorities of the Founding Father, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and continues to be on the list of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s concerns as is the case with all other Arab issues which lie at the heart of his interests.”
Ghobash also added that, “It will remain in the annals of history that our nation, its leadership and people, has always been in support of the Palestinian people and it’s just cause under all circumstances and conditions.”
He thanked all the participating delegations and said “I have the honor to convey to our brotherly Palestinian people the sincere feelings of the leadership and people of the United Arab Emirates, and their full solidarity with them, to restore all their legitimate rights and establish their independent Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
Speaker of the council added that, “I’m positive and full of hope and confidence that we will come up with a strong and unified position that will boost the aspirations of the Arab peoples regarding the first and foremost issue of the Arab world -which is the Palestinian cause- especially toward the recent attacks that violated the sanctity of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, which the UAE immediately condemned once they occurred, and demanded immediate cessation thereof, and respect for the inalienable rights of the Palestinians to perform their prayers and practice their religious rituals.”
“At the same time, the UAE has stressed the need to respect the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s role in caring for the holy sites and endowments in the Holy City of Al-Quds, without prejudice to the powers of Aqsa Mosque Endowment Administration and the affairs of Al-Aqsa Mosque in accordance with international law and the historical status quo of Jerusalem, and the agreements concluded in this regard,” he said.
Ghobash praised Morocco’s king and said “We also commend the role played by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, in supporting the great steadfastness shown by the people of Jerusalem in defending the Holy City.”
He went on saying that, “I am confident that we all are keen on ensuring all transparency and frankness to stop and prevent Israeli practices that lead to grave escalations and threaten the security of the entire region.”
“I’m also confident that we all are aware that temporary solutions will not achieve tangible results that can be relied on during the coming period,” he stressed.
“Therefore, we must adhere to the mechanisms of forging a permanent, just, and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the three main approaches represented in the internationally-agreed references, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the return to the borders of June 4, 1967, so that the Palestinian people can establish their independent state on their soil with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he concluded.