The request was conveyed by foreign ministers of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Nigeria, and the secretary general of the Arab League during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which was continued by a meeting with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in Paris, Wednesday.
"The foreign ministers expect France to use its influence on other countries to not apply double standards to the Palestinian case," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated in an online press briefing on Thursday Jakarta time.
Double standards need to be avoided, as international law and international humanitarian law must be respected by all countries, including while responding to the current situation in Gaza, where more than 10 thousand people have died as a result of Israeli attacks.
She noted that at the meeting with Macron, the ministers emphasized the importance of a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian assistance for people affected by the conflict in Gaza.
"The foreign ministers welcomed President Macron's statement that there is no double standard for France," she remarked.
At the meeting with Colonna, the foreign ministers discussed the importance of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution that is stronger and more comprehensive, especially regarding humanitarian aid. In this case, France, with its position as a permanent member of the UNSC, is expected to support it.
France was the last destination visited by OIC foreign ministers after China, Russia, and the UK to gather support for resolving the crisis in Gaza and seeking peace for Palestine in accordance with the mandate of the OIC-Arab League summit held in Riyadh on November 11.
The first approach taken by the OIC foreign ministers was to visit and meet the governments of the permanent member countries of the UNSC, namely China, Russia, the UK, and France.
According to Marsudi, the same approach will also be implemented for as many parties as possible.
"We really hope that with these open discussions, efforts to carry out de-escalation will continue, even though we know there are still differences of opinion, especially regarding the ceasefire issue," she remarked.
The minister noted that during discussions with those countries, all parties agreed on the importance of bigger and faster humanitarian assistance, considering that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is already very bad.
"All also agreed to oppose forced displacement (of Palestinians). All also shared the same view that the two-state solution must still be a reference for resolving the Palestinian problem," she stated.
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Translator: Yashinta Difa, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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