President Muhammadu Buhari has declared his total support for a two-state solution to the Israel- Palestine conflict.
The
Nigerian President stated this during a meeting on Sunday with the Emir
of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani, his spokesperson, Femi Adesina,
said.
“I want to assure you that we will stand side by side with you,
until our brothers and sisters in Palestine achieve their desired
objectives,” he said.
“Our support for various Security Council
resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with Jerusalem as
capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken.”
Mr. Buhari’s stance on
the Israeli-Palestine conflict is similar with that of most countries of
the world including the European Union, and Qatar is believed to be one
of the major backers of Palestine including backing Hamas which governs
Gaza. However Israel and the United States have repeatedly blocked any
United Nations resolution mandating a two-state solution. The
non-resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lack of progress
in resolving it is considered the greatest foreign policy failure of
President Barack Obama of the U.S.
At the meeting in Qatar, the
Nigerian President also declared as “totally unacceptable,” the huge
drop in the price of crude which has seen international oil prices
plummet from over $100 a barrel last year to about $30.
Read Mr. Adesina’s full statement below:
President
Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Doha emphasised the need for member
states of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, and
non-OPEC members to cooperate and find a common ground to stabilise
crude oil prices.
Speaking at a bilateral meeting with the Sheikh
Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, President
Buhari described the current market situation in the industry, which has
seen oil prices plummet by 70 per cent since mid-2014, as “totally
unacceptable.”
“As members of OPEC and Gas Exporting Countries Forum
(GECF), our relations in the areas of oil and gas, which our two nations
heavily rely on, need to be enhanced and coordinated for the benefit of
our people.
“The current market situation in the oil industry is unsustainable and totally unacceptable.
“We
must cooperate both within and outside our respective organisations to
find a common ground to stabilize the market, which will be beneficial
to our nations,’’ the President said on the second day of his state
visit to Qatar.
The President used the occasion of his address to the
Emir to commend the existing cordial bilateral relations between both
countries and invited prospective Qatari investors to take advantage of
the abundant opportunities in Nigeria and invest in the key areas of
energy, agriculture, real estate development, banking and finance.
He
assured prospective investors of government protection of their persons
and investment, noting that in the course of his visit, the delegations
from Nigeria and Qatar would formalise at least two bilateral
agreements to boost economic cooperation between both countries.
President
Buhari also weighed-in on the situation in the Middle East, commending
the role Qatar is playing in resolving the present Syrian crisis, the
Palestinian cause and efforts in reconstructing Gaza.
“The conflicts
in Yemen and Syria with their attendant humanitarian crisis need genuine
international effort to solve. Nigeria as a peace loving country
identifies with the State of Qatar in all her peace efforts in the world
to end terrorist activities.
“Nigeria is a victim of terrorism. It
is with heavy heart that I stand before you and say activities of Boko
Haram have led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent people
in our dear nation.
“We, however, take pride to inform you that
since our coming to power, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated
and are in no position to cause serious threat to our development
programs.
“I wish to reiterate that Nigeria rejects violence and
extremism in all their ramifications, and assure your Highness that we
are with the State of Qatar in your efforts to fight terrorism and
injustice in your region and in the world at large.”
President Buhari
also called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian
conflict , saying “we in Nigeria, like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two
State’ solution, with the State of Palestine living side by side with
the State of Israel.
“I want to assure you that we will stand side by
side with you, until our brothers and sisters in Palestine achieve
their desired objectives.
“Our support for various Security Council
resolutions restoring and respecting 1967 boundaries with Jerusalem as
capital of Palestine is firm and unshaken,’’ he said.
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/199232-nigerias-president-buhari-declares-total-support-palestinian-state.html
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