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Malaysia Not Considering Diplomatic Relations With Israel - Foreign Minister

Posted on: Saturday, 3 September 2005, 03:00 CDT

Text of report in English by Malaysian news agency Bernama website; ellipses as carried

Kuala Lumpur, 2 September: Malaysia is not looking into the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that Israeli pullout from Gaza following the evacuation of its settlers after 38 years of occupation was only a "small step" but the road to eventual peace where a viable Palestinian state could exist side by side with Israel was still very far.

"So I think it is bit too early for Malaysia to be talking about possible establishment of any diplomatic relationship (with Israel)... but I think that the principles we accepted and accepted by the international community is a principle of two states living side by side."

"And the vision of two states must be achieved before anybody take the next move. I think that is the position Malaysia holds in respect of the development," he said when asked will Kuala Lumpur review its long held position on Israel following the Gaza withdrawal.

Earlier, the minister officiated the soft launch of the International Islamic Fair 2006 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here Friday.

Malaysia is one of the staunch supporters of the Palestine people's struggle, and among others wanted the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem being the future capital.

Syed Hamid stressed that there were many more steps that Tel Aviv must take to realize the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestine state.

"In welcoming Israel's withdrawal (from Gaza), we mustn't forget that what will eventually be set up is a Palestinian state, which is viable... and just because of Gaza, which is a small step, we have already regarded the problem in the region as resolved," he said.

He was also asked about the meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom on Thursday in Istanbul, Turkey - first publicly acknowledged high level meeting between the two countries.

He said it was the rights of any country to engage in any meetings with the Israeli side.

"I think it would not be wrong for any (Islamic) country to interact with the Israeli foreign minister and to extend the message as an Islamic nation, that it really wants to see the creation of a Palestinian state," he said.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf however had said that Islamabad would not recognize Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Source: BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

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