Pakistani foreign minister meets Muslim leaders, chalks out 'unified response' ahead of UNGA 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has held discussions with a number of Muslim leaders in New York to formulate a “unified response” from Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states ahead of a special United Nations General Assembly session on the situation in Palestine on May 20.
Since the crisis began on May 10, Palestinian health officials say 228 people have been killed in Israeli aerial bombardments that have worsened Gaza’s already dire humanitarian situation. Israeli authorities put the death toll to date at 12 in Israel.
Upon Qureshi’s arrival in New York, a dinner was hosted at the Pakistan Consulate on Wednesday, where the foreign ministers of Turkey, Tunisia and Palestine, the President of the UN General Assembly and Permanent Representatives of OIC member countries were also present.
“Qureshi today hosted a working dinner of the Foreign Ministers of the OIC countries to ... help formulate a unified and unequivocal response from the OIC Member States ahead of tomorrows’ United Nations General Assembly special meeting on the situation in Palestine,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“He expressed his deep gratitude to all brotherly OIC countries, who along with Pakistan, played a proactive role in convening the special meeting of the UN General Assembly,” the statement added. “He expressed the hope that special meeting of the United Nations General Assembly will help send a strong message on behalf of the OIC to the international community to help end the Israeli aggression and to take concrete steps to find a solution to the Palestinian issue.”
The foreign minister’s visit to New York is part of Pakistan’s intensive diplomatic onslaught to mobilize international support on the Palestinian crisis.
A day earlier, as a part of an ongoing Mideast diplomatic onslaught, Qureshi met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Dr. Riaz Al-Maliki in Turkey and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to the Palestinian cause before leaving for New York.
Qureshi had arrived in Turkey on Tuesday where he met his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and exchanged views on the “worsening situation” in the Palestinian territories.
On Wednesday, Qureshi met the Palestinian foreign minister and briefed him on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts “to draw the attention of the international community to the ongoing Israeli military aggression in Palestine and to find a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue.”
“The Foreign Minister strongly condemned the Israeli military aggression, the attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the forced eviction of Palestinians, and expressed deep sorrow over the martyrdom of innocent Palestinians, especially children,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
Al-Maliki appreciated Pakistan’s “clear, unequivocal and principled position on the Palestinian issue and thanked Pakistan’s leadership and Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi for Pakistan’s diplomatic assistance at the regional and international levels.”
In an interview with Turkish media on May 18, Qureshi said his country was banking on the UN General Assembly to play its role to develop a consensus that led to a cease-fire and end to “atrocities” in Palestine.
“So, my idea is to go [UNGA) and share that truth of the world to reflect the sentiments of the people of Pakistan. I will be carrying the unanimous resolution of the National Assembly, it was unanimously passed,” Qureshi said, referring to Pakistan’s lower house of parliament passing a unanimous resolution against the ‘unconscionable brutality’ of Israel this Monday.
For the past week Washington, a strong ally of Israel, has been isolated in the 15-member council over its objection to a public statement by the Security Council on the worst violence between Israel and the Palestinians in years.
“Unfortunately, the Security Council could not reach a consensus,” Qureshi told the Turkish news agency. “Unfortunately, the joint statement could not come out because it was vetoed. So, we’re banking on the General Assembly to play its role to evolve a consensus that leads to a cease-fire, de-escalation and an end to atrocities.”
Qureshi said Pakistan had played an active and consistent role on the Palestine issue, and “we expect to play a role in keeping the [Muslim] umma [community] reunited. That’s very important. That message of unity will strengthen and encourage the spirits and raise the morale of the beleaguered Palestinians.”