Kuwait vows solidarity with Palestine as non-permanent UNSC member

KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait said on Tuesday that it will highlight the Palestinian cause during its tenure as a non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

The remarks were made by Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti deputy prime minister and minister of Foreign Affairs, during his participation at the regular session of the Kuwaiti National Assembly.

The U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move its embassy to the holy city will be strongly protested, he said.

The decision violates several UNSC resolutions on Palestine as well as international laws and norms, Sheikh Sabah added.

"The decision, if implemented, will crush all hopes for peace in the Middle East and it will be a direct slap toward the Arab peace initiative," he said.

With regards to the U.S. veto of a UNSC resolution condemning its Jerusalem decision late Monday, the minister said the resolution was a clear indication of the world's disapproval of the decision and he hoped the U.S. would reconsider the situation and back down from this unjust policy.

The United States on Monday vetoed a UNSC draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.

On June 2, the UN General Assembly elected Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Poland and Peru as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to serve a two-year term starting Jan. 1, 2018. Enditem