Latest news with #HESayyidBadralBusaidi
Muscat Daily
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Dialogue key to ending conflict: Sayyid Badr
Muscat – H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, called for urgent and sustained dialogue on Sunday to address the worsening situation in Palestine, warning against continued violence and the failure of the international community to act decisively. Speaking at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, H E Sayyid Badr reaffirmed Oman's strong ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressed gratitude to Iranian Foreign Minister Dr Abbas Araghchi for the invitation to participate. 'The Sultanate of Oman attaches great importance to its distinguished relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran,' he said, acknowledging Araghchi's role in promoting regional and international dialogue with 'candour, precision and flexibility'. H E Sayyid Badr used the platform to focus on what he described as one of the region's most pressing challenges — the Palestinian issue. 'The violence and genocide that the Palestinian people continue to endure is a global tragedy – one that should never have been allowed to occur,' he said. 'It could have been prevented had the opportunities for dialogue been seized.' He said that since the assassination of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, the Palestinians had been left without a credible partner for dialogue, blaming successive Israeli governments for rejecting serious engagement. He also criticised the international community for failing to exert 'meaningful pressure' to initiate a genuine peace process, while pointing out the damaging role played by actors who imposed rigid preconditions for engagement. 'What has given me some hope and optimism in recent months,' H E Sayyid Badr noted, 'is the emergence of signs pointing towards a possible shift in approach from Washington.' Referring to recent developments, he said the United States may be exploring a 'more pragmatic and flexible stance' on potential dialogue partners, citing comments from a senior Hamas official who claimed there had been contact with Washington. 'This suggests that even at a time of horrific destruction, there is a renewed appetite for dialogue – one we all recognise as essential, even if Tel Aviv continues to try to avoid it by escalating militarily on multiple fronts,' he said. He expressed confidence that US President Donald Trump could help bring about peace. H E Sayyid Badr acknowledged the difficulties of diplomatic engagement but warned against the consequences of avoiding dialogue. 'Gaza stands as a terrible lesson in what happens when people lack the courage to speak to one another,' he said. He concluded by reaffirming Oman's commitment to diplomacy. 'We remain firmly committed to the difficult path of dialogue – including with those we may deeply disagree with,' he said, expressing hope that the Tehran forum would help strengthen international resolve for peaceful solutions.
Muscat Daily
10-05-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
US, Iran to hold fourth round of talks in Muscat today
Muscat – Iran and the United States will hold their fourth round of indirect talks in Muscat on Sunday, Oman's Foreign Minister H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi announced on Friday. 'After coordination with both Iran and the US, the fourth round of negotiations is set to take place on Sunday, May 11 in Muscat,' Sayyid Badr wrote in his X account. In remarks carried by Iranian state media on Friday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was quoted saying, 'The negotiations are moving forward, and naturally, the further we go, the more consultations and reviews are needed.' He added, 'The delegations require more time to examine the issues that are raised. But what is important is that we are on a forward-moving path and gradually entering into the details.' US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who will attend the talks in Oman, was quoted by Breitbart News saying the Iranians had stated that they do not want a nuclear weapon and that the US will 'take them at their word' on this point. 'If that's how they feel, then their enrichment facilities have to be dismantled. They cannot have centrifuges. They have to downblend all of their fuel that they have there and send it to a faraway place – and they have to convert to a civil programme if they want to run a civil programme,' he said. The fourth round of indirect negotiations, initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome, was postponed, with Oman citing 'logistical reasons'.
Muscat Daily
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
OIC endorses Egypt's alternative to Trump's Gaza takeover plan
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday endorsed an Arab League counter-proposal to US President Donald Trump's controversial plan to take over Gaza and displace its residents. The decision by the 57-member grouping came at an emergency meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia three days after the Arab League ratified the plan at a summit in Cairo. 'The emergency ministerial meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation adopted the Egyptian plan, which has now become an Arab-Islamic plan,' Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said. 'It is certainly a very positive thing,' he added. OIC convened its extraordinary session to address the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the attempts to displace them from their land, at the request of Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine, Iran and Pakistan, at the OIC Secretariat General in Jeddah. The endorsement came in a resolution that condemned the 'Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people and the schemes for their displacement from their land'. H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister OIC also demanded an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza as well as humanitarian access to the strip, and Israel's withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, represented Oman in the meeting. He stressed the sultanate's firm and supportive position for implementing the terms of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the complete withdrawal of Israel, return of the displaced, and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to all areas of Gaza. He also warned of the danger of any attempt to displace Palestinians or violate their rights. During the meeting, OIC also readmitted Syria, which was suspended in 2012 in the early stages of the civil war under Bashar al Assad, following the long-time ruler's toppling in December.
Muscat Daily
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Arab summit adopts Egypt's Gaza reconstruction plan
Cairo, Egypt – An emergency Arab League summit convened in Cairo on Tuesday adopted an Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el Sisi said in a closing statement. The plan aims to counter US President Donald Trump's proposals for a 'Middle East Riviera' by presenting a scheme for rebuilding the devastated strip without displacing its population. Oman's delegation to the summit was headed by H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, who praised the effort, expressing hope that it would be translated into practical steps that meet the aspirations of the Arab peoples. He welcomed the Egyptian plan to rebuild the Gaza and wished it success. In his opening remarks, Sisi said the plan would ensure Gazans 'remain on their land'. Sisi proposed forming an administrative committee of independent Palestinian professionals to temporarily oversee Gaza's affairs, paving the way for the return of the Palestinian Authority. 'With the help of its Palestinian brothers, Egypt has worked to create a Palestinian administrative committee of independent professionals and technocrats, who will be tasked with governing Gaza with the expertise of its members,' Sisi said. The committee will be responsible for overseeing the relief process and governing the strip's issues for a 'temporary period' in preparation for the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza. The Egyptian plan outlines a five-year roadmap with an estimated cost of US$53bn, roughly matching the United Nations' assessment of Gaza's reconstruction needs. A proposed early recovery phase, expected to last six months and cost US$3bn, would focus on clearing unexploded ordnance and debris, and providing temporary housing. That would be followed by a US$20bn initial reconstruction stage running until 2027 focused on rebuilding essential infrastructure and permanent housing. The next stage of reconstruction, extending to 2030 at an estimated cost of US$30bn aims to build more housing, infrastructure, and industrial and commercial facilities. H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed strong support for the Egyptian initiative. 'I welcome and strongly endorse the Arab-led initiative to mobilise support for Gaza's reconstruction, clearly expressed in this summit,' Guterres said. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the call to transfer the population of Gaza is 'categorically rejected', adding he commended 'the Arab-Egyptian plan for the reconstruction of Gaza in the presence of the Palestinians in their homeland'. 'We call on Trump to support the efforts of reconstruction on these bases, rather than any other basis,' Abbas added.
Muscat Daily
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Let's not forget many thousands still lying beneath rubble in Gaza: H E Sayyid Badr
Muscat – Oman's Foreign Minister, H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, has called on the international community to acknowledge the plight of thousands of victims still buried under rubble in Gaza, urging the world to honour their memory. In a statement on social media platform X, H E Sayyid Badr said, 'Amid the talk of the future of Gaza, let us not forget the many thousands of innocents still lying beneath the rubble. We must honour them, including every woman and child that has lost their lives in vain at the hands of the brutal Israeli forces.' Salama Maarouf, head of Gaza's Government Media Office, estimated that over 12,000 bodies remain trapped under debris, citing a severe lack of equipment to retrieve them due to Israeli restrictions on the entry of heavy machinery into the besieged enclave. 'Israeli authorities have not allowed the entry of heavy machinery into the Gaza Strip,' Maarouf said at a press conference at Gaza City's Baptist Hospital on Friday. Hamas has acknowledged that it cannot fulfil its earlier promise to return the bodies of Israeli captives killed during bombardments, he added. H E Sayyid Badr discussed the ongoing crisis with Badr Abdel Aati, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, on Friday.
