M'SIAN PM URGES UN TO SET UP WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi tabled a motion in parliament Monday calling on the United Nations to
immediately set up a war crimes tribunal to investigate and prosecute Israelis
suspected of committing war crimes against Palestinians.

Abdullah, who tabled the motion at a special parliament session on Gaza,
also proposed that the resolution be conveyed to the legislative bodies
concerned, in particular the United States Congress, British Parliament
and the European Parliament.

Speaking when tabling the motion on "condemning Israel's Zionist regime's
attack on Gaza", Abdullah said, the bombardment and devastation in Gaza should
be condemned by the world as it violated the international law.

"The attack on the Palestinian territory in Gaza violates international law,
human rights law, international human rights law, the UN's charter, and is a war
crime as it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 on the protection of
civilians in times of war," he said.

The motion also urged the UN Security Council to compel Israel to
immediately cease its aggression in the Gaza Strip through a ceasefire, and for
the world body to deploy peacekeeping forces to enforce the ceasefire.

In the 20-minute speech in which he outlined the 10-point motion, Abdullah
also proposed to the parliament to urge the UN General Assembly to convene an
emergency session on "Uniting for Peace" under the Resolution 377A(V) should the
UN Security Council failed to enforce its resolution made on Jan 8.

As the Jan 8 resolution fell short on provisions for an international
peacekeeping force to implement the ceasefire, Abdullah said, there was no one
to compel Israel to pull out of Gaza or to ensure that the ceasefire was
respected.

He also proposed that the Malaysian parliament urged the parties concerned
to resume international peace efforts and implement the various UN resolutions
on the Palestine issue and the Arab-Israel conflict.

Abdullah said Kuala Lumpur had high hopes for the United States-initiated
Annapolis peace conference in November 2007 but was disappointed that the effort
met a dead end.

Urging parliament to condemn in its strongest terms Israel's wanton
aggression on Gaza that resulted in nearly 900 people killed and over 4,000
injured including infants, children and elderly men and women, the prime
minister also called for Israel's complete pullout from Gaza.

The motion also called on Palestinians to unite in defending their rights
and in the struggle for a sovereign Palestinian state, and to express the
Malaysian people's strong support towards the struggle.

It also contains Malaysia's resolve to work with the Organisation of the
Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Arab League and
like-minded countries to uphold international principles and the UN Charter in
tackling the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

It also appeals to the international community to immediately provide
humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

Abdullah said that the latest attack was the worst by the Zionist regime
since it first occupied the territory in 1967 which resulted in the devastation
of the small and defenceless region.

"Unfortunately, there are certain quarters who have been blaming the Hamas
fighters in Gaza for launching rockets towards Israel. But these are acts by
people who have been encircled, whose movements are restricted even within their
own territories.

"On Dec 27, Prof Richard Falk, the UN's special rappateur on human rights in
the Palestinian territories, has described Israel's bombardment of Gaza as
severe and massive violations of international humanitarian law," he said.

Referring to the recent UN Security Council resolution on Gaza, Abdullah
said, the council was powerless to act as Israel's ally was there to stop it
from taking action.

"In fact, in the Palestine issue, the United States has used its veto power
28 times in 36 years since 1973, to prevent the UN Security Council from taking
action.

"Let us now urge US President-elect Barack Obama to bring about real change
to the situation.

"The US prides itself as the world's beacon of democracy, but why did it
reject the results of the Palestine general election in 2006 which was won by
Hamas? It also prides itself as the defender of human rights; why did it let
Israel killed innocent children, women and elderly and other civilians?" he
said.

Abdullah also said that he had sent messages to the UN Secretary-General,
heads of government of UN Security Council member states, OIC, NAM and others,
including Pope Benedict XVI, Obama and former US president Jimmy Carter, to find
peace in the Middle East in general and Gaza in particular.

He said the government, through the Foreign Ministry, had instructed
Malaysia's permanent representative to the UN, Hamidon Ali, to work with
OIC and NAM representatives to find solution to the Palestine issue.

He said that Malaysians were saddened by the inability of the international
community, particularly the UN Security Council, to stop Israel's atrocities.

The prime minister also thanked members of parliament for their
participation in the debate at today's special session on Gaza.

"For the sake of the country's credibility, we must be united in explaining
Malaysia's stance against the brutalities committed by the Zionist regime," he
said.
-- BERNAMA