MALAYSIA CALLS FOR UN SPECIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia on Monday called on the United
Nations to convene a special general assembly to find a resolution to the
Israeli atrocities against Palestine.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the UN special general
assembly could be held on the premise of "unity for peace".

He said Malaysia's permanent representative to the UN had been instructed to
initiate discussions with contact groups of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and
the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to get the UN to convene the
special general assembly.

"The world must firmly express itself and demand a resolution of the issue,"
he said when addressing the monthly assembly of the Prime Minister's Department,
here.

Abdullah said only a special general assembly could negate any improper
action of the United States.

Israel launched air strikes in the Gaza Strip a week ago and killed up to
500 Palestinians, many of them civilians.

Abdullah said the proposed special general assembly would allow for the
arguments and decisions of all governments to be heard and considered.

"I hope the United States and its allies will not impede efforts to convene
the special general assembly," he said.

He said the United States had not shown itself to be a responsible major
power.

"The United States has the capacity to and can stop the atrocities but they
have chosen other options," he said.
He said the United States should have used its influence to effect a
ceasefire but it had not bothered to do so and had instead allowed Israel to
commit the atrocities against the Palestinians.

"Worse still, the United States has blocked a UN (Security Council)
resolution (calling for an end to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip). This
move is something which the world community cannot have respect for," he said.

Abdullah said Israel had another motive than its excuse that it was
responding to Hamas's action.

"Israel seems to want to obliterate Palestine. There is a hidden agenda," he
said.

The prime minister said Israel's atrocities against the Palestinians would
not help in the recovery of the world economy but would only lead to tension and
one crisis after another.

Abdullah said Malaysia strongly condemned the Israeli action and added that
it could not be accepted, especially at this time of a world economic crisis.

On another matter, he said civil servants should remain united because the
country demanded "collective action for collective responsibility" in ensuring
national economic resilience in the face of a world economic crisis.

He said national economic resilience was achievable only through efficient
and effective measures adopted by the administrators and civil servants to
further stimulate the economy.

"Do not do anything which can cripple national economic resilience," he
said.

The prime minister said civil servants should regard efforts to boost the
national economy as a New Year resolution.

He said Malaysia was not in an economic recession now because of a
resilient
banking system, a high-level of savings which can be utilised for economic
development, and strong domestic consumption.

Domestic consumption rose to eight per cent in the third quarter of last
year, taking economic growth during that period to 4.7 per cent, he added.

-- BERNAMA