Gaza ceasefire: Pakistan voices disappointment over UNSC’s failure to adopt resolution

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan, which along with many Arab and OIC countries co-sponsored the Russian draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, expressed disappointment that the UN Security Council did not approve the balanced text.

“The most urgent need at this stage is a ceasefire,” Ambassador Munir Akram, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the state news agency.

“It is, therefore, disappointing that the Russian draft resolution, which called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, was not adopted,” he added.

The draft did not secure the required number of nine votes for adoption. The final vote tally was 5 in favour (China, Gabon, Mozambique, the Russian Federation and the United Arab Emirates), 4 against (France, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and 6 abstentions (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Malta and Switzerland).

The Arab and OIC countries, which co-sponsored the Russian draft resolution, were: Pakistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Lebanon, Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkiye, Bangladesh, Maldives, Mauritania, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea and Mali. Zimbabwe, Nicaragua, and Venezuela were also among the co-sponsors.

Diplomats noted that the State of Palestine also supported the Russian draft. After Monday night’s vote, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed regret over the Security Council’s failure to adopt the resolution, blaming the “selfish intention of the Western bloc”.

He said that the Western countries’ delegations “basically stomped” on global hopes for the Council to put an end to violence.

Western countries opposed the resolution on the ground that it does not mention Hamas.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that her country could not support the Russian draft resolution as it ignored Hamas’ terrorism and ‘dishonoured’ victims.