The conflict in West Asia has prevented the BRICS foreign ministers from agreeing to a joint statement after two days of deliberations in the national capital.
Iran and the UAE expressed reservations about the formulations agreed to by others on the situation in the Gulf and Palestine, and free navigation through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait that is an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz to ship oil to Europe and the Americas.
In the absence of a consensus, a chair’s statement was issued with a reference to the disagreements without mentioning the countries that did not come on board on the select issues mentioned in the 63-para document.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, secretary (economic relations) in the external affairs ministry, Sudhakar Dalela, sought to underscore that there was consensus on a majority of issues across the main verticals — political and security, economic and financial, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
While Dalela did not detail what the differences were or identify the countries, Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi indicated that the UAE was one of the dissenting voices while responding to a question at a separate briefing on what India can do to bring peace in West Asia, as articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day during his brief visit to Abu Dhabi.
“As a matter of fact, the final statement of the BRICS meeting — or some parts of it — were blocked by a member state which has its own special relations with Israel.... We have no difficulty with that certain country; they have not been our target in the current war. We only hit American military bases and American military installations, which are unfortunately on their soil.
“So, the only reason they stopped the final statement is their support to Israel and the US in their aggression…. Hope they will change this by the time of the leaders’ summit and realise that we are neighbours…. Israel and the US cannot protect them… the military bases became a source of insecurity for them,” Araghchi said.
He did not specify which of the three issues on which there was no consent he was referring to but indications are that this is in reference to the paragraph that said the Gaza Strip is an inseparable part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“They underlined, in this regard, the importance of unifying the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under the Palestinian Authority, and reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine. They called on the international community to support the Palestinian Authority in undergoing reforms to fulfil the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations for independence and statehood.” As per the chair’s statement, “a member had reservations on some aspects of this paragraph”.
Late in the night, the UAE issued a statement refuting Iran’s allegations at the meeting. According to the statement, minister of state Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar rejected Iran’s attempts to justify the “Iranian terrorist attacks that targeted the UAE as well as other countries in the region in a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law, and the principles of good neighbourliness”.
Apart from this, all the ministers agreed that a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means and depends on the fulfilment of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights to self-determination and return.
“They reaffirmed their support for the State of Palestine’s full membership in the UN in the context of the unwavering commitment to the two-state solution, in accordance with international law…, and the Arab Peace Initiative, that includes the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within the internationally recognised 1967 borders, which included the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in order to achieve the vision of two States living side by side, in peace and security…,” the chair statement said.
On the West Asia situation, it said “there were differing views among some members”, with Iran, the UAE and Saudi Arabia at the same table.
In the case of Bab Al-Mandab, Iran is said to have refused to sign up, as the ministers stressed the importance of ensuring the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all states in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait in accordance with international law.