Qatar calls on rights council to urgently end unjust siege
GENEVA: Qatar has called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to urgently stop the violations resulting from what it described as “the unilateral coercive measures and the unjust siege imposed by a number of countries”, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
Qatar's permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ambassador Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri, made the remarks as he addressed the 36th session of the Human Rights Council, taking place from Sept 11 to 29.
He noted that the council's failure to take swift and serious action to stop the violations would undermined its credibility, objectivity and mechanisms.
He said Qatar condemns the continuous Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as forced evictions, the continuous killing and detentions, the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli occupation authorities and extremist groups, and the strict measures imposed to prevent Palestinians from entering.
Such flagrant violations of international resolutions constitute an obstacle to international efforts towards achieving a fair and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian issue.
Al Mansouri also expressed Qatar's strong condemnation of the violent attacks against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State in Myanmar, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and the fleeing of thousands from their homes.
He expressed Doha's deep concern about reports of abuses and violations against the minority, stressing the need for the Myanmar government to abide by international law to protect civilians and achieve reconciliation.
In his closing statement, the ambassador welcomed the remarks made by the high commissioner for human rights regarding the decline in hostilities in Darfur, voicing hope that the Human Rights Council would support the efforts of the Sudanese government and the relevant parties to sustain and consolidate the peace achieved in the region under the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. — Bernama