Oman rejects US bias in Security Council veto

The Sultanate of Oman says it regrets the United States use of its veto power to block a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement from the Foreign Ministry, Oman also rejects the American administration’s bias.

The resolution had called for a ceasefire to address the deteriorating humanitarian situation and provide civilians with relief supplies and to meet their medical needs.

The US used its veto despite warnings from the UN Secretary General and international humanitarian organisations about the living conditions of the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the collapse of the United Nations agencies' ability to fulfil their duties.

The statement says this situation threatens the international system's ability to carry out its responsibilities according to the United Nations Charter.

The Foreign Ministry renewed the Sultanate of Oman’s call on the international community to make all political, diplomatic and legal efforts to lift the siege of the Gaza Strip, to stop Israel’s attacks and to hold it accountable for the war crimes it is committing against the Palestinian people.

Oman called for the Palestinian people to be provided with all the urgent relief they need to support their steadfastness on their land and to provide them with the necessary protection from this brutal aggression.

Commenting on the US veto on social media, Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said:  “The use of the veto at Security Council is a shameful insult to humanitarian norms.

“I deeply regret that the United States should sacrifice the lives of innocent civilians for the cause of Zionism.

“Long after we are gone the world will look back on today with shame,” he added.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.