The Vice President has pledged the Maldives steadfast support to the Palestinian people and to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
“The Maldives stands shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people and we believe that time for Palestine to join the international family of nations is long overdue,” said the Vice President in his speech at the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly.
During his speech, the Vice President welcomed the Palestinian President’s application for statehood at the UN. The Vice President added that he would like to see State of Palestine co-existing peacefully beside the State of Israel.
The Vice President underscored that the ‘demands for human rights and democratic values are universal’ and therefore the international community should support the rights of the Palestinian people.
The Vice President went on to say that the Maldives was determined to protect human rights, both domestically and internationally. He expressed pleasure in the Maldives’ recent accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. “We are pleased to join a growing alliance of states which stands firmly against those who believe they can violate human rights with impunity,” the Vice President said.
In his speech, the Vice President also called on the international community to conclude a planet-saving deal on climate change, building on the successes of the Copenhagen and Cancun climate summits. The Vice President also called on the UN to give Small Island Developing States special status and assistance.