UN conference on Palestine unhelpful, likely to cause harm, says US envoy
KUALA LUMPUR: The United States views the upcoming United Nations conference on ending the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict as poorly timed and counterproductive, says diplomat Edgard D. Kagan.
The US Ambassador to Malaysia said the event is 'more likely to cause harm' than support efforts to achieve a ceasefire and peace in Gaza.
He was responding to a Reuters report on Wednesday (June 11) citing a US diplomatic cable warning countries against participating in the conference, stating that they could face diplomatic consequences.
ALSO READ: UN urges 'courage' in saving Mideast two-state solution
When asked about the report, Kagan declined to go into the specifics of the so-called 'consequences' stated in the cable, but made it clear that Washington does not support the conference in its current form.
'Our view is that the timing and the content of this is unhelpful and it's... more likely to cause harm to efforts to try and bring about a ceasefire and to try and bring peace to the region than it will to help.
'We don't believe that this will serve the stated goals of the conference itself. We don't believe that it will help bring peace and that it will help end suffering in the region,' he told a press conference at his official residence here on Friday (June 13).
Kagan reiterated the United States' longstanding position in support of peace in the Middle East and emphasised the need for countries in the region to work together and coexist.
ALSO READ: France calls on Malaysia to join UN conference on Palestine two-state solution
He also underlined the importance of reaching a ceasefire and ending the violence in Gaza.
According to Reuters, the United States sent a diplomatic cable earlier this week urging governments not to attend the UN meeting, warning that any country taking 'anti-Israel actions' following the conference could be seen as acting against US foreign policy interests and may face diplomatic consequences.
The conference, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia and set to take place from June 17 to 20 in New York, aims to revive international momentum for a two-state solution by laying out a roadmap towards the creation of a Palestinian state while ensuring Israel's security.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to attend, along with other global leaders, though Israel has announced it will not participate.
ALSO READ: France could recognise Palestinian state 'in June': Macron
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has backed the initiative, saying the international community must not only support a solution where independent states of Palestine and Israel coexist peacefully, but also 'materialise the conditions to make it happen.'
The US cable reportedly described the event as undermining sensitive ceasefire negotiations led by Egypt and Qatar.
Israel has also strongly opposed the conference, accusing it of rewarding the Palestinian resistance group Hamas and lobbying France against recognising a Palestinian state.
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