Foreign Minister gives interview to CNN

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi was interviewed by Becky Anderson on the “Connect the World” programme on the CNN global news channel.

To view edited highlights and full video of the interview please click here.

This is an edited  transcript of the interview:

Q: We have just heard in the last hour the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announcing that he, and I quote him here, has approved the plans for action in Rafah. How do you react to that?

A: What viewers everywhere really need to know, is that the people of Palestine are suffering a total humanitarian catastrophe. Over 30,000 have already been killed since last October. Tragic stories of newborn babies dying from starvation. The whole of the Gaza Strip is in famine and it is unspeakable.

And this has not been caused by a natural disaster or disease. This is the doing of the Israeli Defence Forces. This is caused by the Israeli side denying the people of Gaza basic living necessities. This is the doing of the State of Israel in complete violation of international law and international humanitarian law. We can't but highlight such facts – call out Israel as the aggressor, the occupier. And the world must demand reparations for the loss of innocent lives and the destruction inflicted. President Biden has called on the Israelis not to move on to Rafah.

The whole world is calling Israel not to move on to Rafah. I think enough is enough. And I will join Vice President Harris’ call for a ceasefire now. This will allow aid to flow by land and it will also allow Israel's remaining hostages to be released peacefully, not through war. And then a process of peace and reconstruction of shattered lives can begin. After a cease fire, then the international community has to work swiftly and courageously for sustainable peace.

Q: Vice President Kamala Harris has called for a ceasefire, albeit temporary – six weeks. That would, of course, allow the humanitarian aid into both the North and South, as well as the release of hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. Let's talk about that.

Those talks, those negotiations, they are ongoing still. As we understand it, those talks will start again over the weekend in Doha. It does, though, feel as if the parties are still some distance apart in actually getting to an agreement for that ceasefire.

How much pressure do you think America still can bring to bear on the Israelis at this point?

A: In the 1990s, and due in no small part to the courage and wisdom of the then Secretary of State, James Baker, the United States convened an international conference that would eventually lead to a historic agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. I think the United States has the capacity to do exactly the same nowadays. These were supposed to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state that would live side by side in peace with Israel, in what we still call the two state solution.

We never achieved that goal because the Israeli leader, who had the courage to respond to Secretary Baker's initiative, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, was assassinated by an Israeli extremist who was an opponent of peace. And progress towards a solution was then blocked by successive governments led by the present Israeli Prime Minister.

And by the way, I wonder whether your viewers know that the government he currently leads include a senior minister who once proudly displayed a portrait of Prime Minister Rabin's murderer in his office.

Q: You penned a strongly worded op-ed in the Economist last month calling for a peace conference that includes everybody at the table, including Hamas. I want to talk to you about that in a moment. But just two points on aid at this point.

In the last half hour or so, an aid ship carrying some 200 tonnes of food has arrived in Gaza and is beginning to unload its cargo. We have very few details about how this cargo will be distributed. Few details about what this operation might look like, to effectively deliver this aid to those who need it most.

How do you think this will impact the starving population of Gaza, sir?

A: The only way to really get the flow of aid as quickly as possible is through the establishment of a ceasefire. I think that is the only way, especially by land, because the people of Gaza need water, need food, need medicine, need fuel, and this can only be supplied in sufficient quantities through land routes, through the various openings that are available. Not just through Rafah, but through the various other openings everywhere. So I think that's what we all should demand from the Israelis and bring pressure to bear, to be able to achieve exactly that.

Q: Is Israel, to your mind, weaponising aid and intentionally starving Gazans specifically in the north?

A: Yes, I think that is what is happening. It’s not only me saying that, but the whole international community and UN agencies are witnessing a deliberate policy of starvation and siege on the people of Gaza.

Q: Let's talk about the potential for a peace conference that you are calling for, including having Hamas at the table.

Realistically, with this current Israeli government, the country's most far right ever, do you see them agreeing to that?

A: Well, I think if we can first establish an immediate ceasefire, and move on swiftly, and this is why we called for a new international peace conference to complete the mission that wasn't completed back in the 1990s, the mission that Secretary Baker and Prime Minister Rabin and the leaders of the Palestinians began in the 1990s.

And the purpose of the conference will be to translate the will of the international community for a two state solution into action, by agreeing the necessary arrangements and agreeing the required guarantees to sustain it, and an international peace agreement, whether today or tomorrow.

The whole world has said again and again, there is no other way to have sustainable peace in the long term except through the establishment of a two state solution. Whether it is this Israeli government or a future Israeli government, I think in order to stop the cycle of violence and to stop terror and stop the killing and save lives, we need to establish that goal in mind and turn it into action.

Q: Do you support Senator Chuck Schumer's contention that Israel now needs elections? Effectively, it now needs a new government?

A: That is for the Israeli people to determine. All I am saying is that sooner or later, I think wisdom should prevail. Common sense should prevail for peace, for everybody in the region, not just between Israel and its immediate neighbours, but for the whole region.

Q: CNN has reported that US officials held indirect talks with Iranian officials in Oman in January. This was amid rising tensions around this region of the Gulf, in the Red Sea, and the wider Middle East, marking the first engagement between the US and Iran for quite some time.

What more can you tell us about those indirect talks? What were they about and what came out of them?

A: We will always be in favour of de-escalation. And in order to do that, we need to get people to talk with each other and everyone has to be involved. Iran is part of the region, and I think engaging with all the regional countries is a very important element, a prerequisite for de-escalation and for bringing a common goal of peace for the whole world. In order to do this, I think there will be a need to engage everyone. And I mean everyone. And this is why I also said that both Israel and Hamas should be part of the solution.

No matter what atrocities we have seen in the past, and we continue to see today, however horrifying the actions of Hamas have been or however devastating Israel's assault on Gaza and the 30,000 deaths inflicted, both Israel and Hamas have to be part of the solution.

Q: The Houthis are creating havoc in the seas around this region. They are targeting Israeli owned or associated ships. They have said that they will stop when there is a ceasefire in Gaza. Do you believe that?

There are many who say that the Houthis are simply taking advantage of this, using the cover of Gaza to really up the ante in these waters around the Gulf.

Have you been in touch with the Houthis and or spoken to Iran about their intentions going forward?

A: To answer your question, Becky, yes, I believe there is a very strong connection. In fact, it's the only connection between what's going on the Red Sea and what's going on in Gaza. If we stop the war in Gaza, we will de-escalate tension everywhere.

And I believe the freedom of navigation, which is something we all call for, will be resumed if we simply recognise that connection between the developments in Palestine and Gaza and the disturbances we are witnessing in the Red Sea.

Q: As somebody who supports the people of Gaza and calls for a ceasefire, does that, by implication suggest that you are supporting the Houthis’ actions at present? I mean, they are deadly.

A: We are not supporting the Israeli actions. We want those actions stopped. We want the atrocities stopped everywhere. We are a country of peace. We call for peace everywhere. And we cannot simply expect the continuation of these atrocities in Gaza to continue, and witness it without lifting a finger on Israel. So I think that is where really the solution begins.

Q: I did, with respect, ask whether you support the actions of the Iran backed Houthi movement as it attacks shipping, they say, associated with Israel in what they say is their support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

A: We don't support violence. We don't support the disruption of people's lives everywhere. But we have to understand the causes and the reasons and try and address the roots of the problem in order to really have a sustainable solution.

Q: What mediation role do you believe Oman can play at this point?

This is a country that has been at the heart of so many mediation efforts, successful mediation efforts over the years. Your country plays a crucial role oft times.

As Foreign Minister, what do you see as your key role now?

A: Well, our key role is part and parcel of the regional role of promoting a climate of peace, of promoting dialogue, of trying to connect people.

Your programme is called “Connect the World”, and I hope you will join us in really connecting everybody for the sake of peace, for the sake of prosperity and the development of all of our region.

We will continue to play that role. And I believe there are people of good will and clear vision on all sides who can do that.

Q: Well, I know some of them. And you are one of them, sir. And so it's wonderful to have you on the programme. Please, I want to let you go so that you can break your fast. Ramadan Kareem, to you and your family. I hope you and I can meet personally very soon. Until then, I wish you the best. And I thank you very much indeed.

A: Thank you, thank you. I look forward to seeing you. Thank you.