Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday attended a high-level multilateral meeting, along with leaders of key Muslim countries, with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with the huddle discussing the situation in Gaza and the wider Middle East.
Participants included Turkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Egypt, the UAE and Jordan.
The 50-minute meeting saw Trump call it an honour to meet Islamic leaders and praise their efforts, saying, “You all have done an excellent job, which is commendable”.
The Turkish President described the talks as extremely productive.
As reported by the Emirati state news agency WAM, the meeting mulled taking steps towards addressing the worsening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave.
NATO member Turkey has harshly criticised Israel’s attacks on Gaza and said they amount to genocide. It has halted all trade with Israel, urged international measures against it, and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Speaking to reporters in New York after the meeting, Erdogan said a joint declaration from the meeting would be published and that he was “pleased” with the outcomes of the meeting, but did not elaborate.
None of the other Muslim leaders spoke to the media after the meeting.
Later, Trump declared the meeting extremely important and spoke to the media about ending the Gaza war, saying it could possibly be concluded soon. He added, “We are going to end something that we did not start”.
He also outlined US plans for an Israeli withdrawal and post-war governance in Gaza without Hamas involvement, according to US media.
Washington is seeking Arab and Muslim nations’ agreement to send troops to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to fund transition and rebuilding programmes, Axios had earlier reported.
As per Al-Jazeera, the Gaza plan was reportedly not drafted by Israel, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been made aware of the details. It is believed to envisage some future involvement by the Palestinian Authority (PA), something Israel has repeatedly said it will not tolerate.
Israel faces global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where local health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed.
In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City, with no ceasefire in sight. But Washington remains Israel’s staunchest ally.
The US and Israel boycotted a summit in New York on Monday convened by France and Saudi Arabia, where dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state.
No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the US has a veto that it frequently uses to oppose resolutions that are critical of Israel.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed the moves for recognition while speaking at the Security Council later on Tuesday.
“This is the clearest path to a two-state solution: Israel and an independent, sovereign, democratic, viable and contiguous State of Palestine,” he said. “We must seize this momentum.”
Allies recognise Palestine
The meeting between President Trump and leaders of key Muslim countries in context of the Gaza situation comes amid Growing international frustration with Washington over the deadly war with key US allies including the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Australia all announcing recognising Palestinian state ahead of the UNGA session — a move aimed at preserving the prospects of a “two-state solution” to the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and help to end the Gaza war.
With an end to the nearly two-year-old conflict seeming more remote than ever, the apparent sidelining of Trump has added to scepticism over his repeated claims since his return to office in January that he is a masterful peacemaker who deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that if Trump really wants to win the coveted Nobel, he needs to stop the war in Gaza.
“There is one person who can do something about it, and that is the US president. And the reason he can do more than us, is because we do not supply weapons that allow the war in Gaza to be waged,” Macron told France’s BFM TV from New York.
The US is Israel’s chief arms supplier and historically acts as its diplomatic shield at the UN and other world bodies. Last week, the US vetoed a draft Security Council resolution that would have demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Trump, however, has given no sign he will use those pressure points.
Even after Israel bombed a Hamas office in the territory of US ally Qatar, he held a tense phone call with Netanyahu but took no action.
No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the UNSC, where the US has a veto.
‘Trump is a man of peace’
Speaking to the reporters earlier, PM Shehbaz praised Donald Trump and his team for playing a significant role in the ceasefire between Pakistan and India during the recent conflict, describing the US president as a strong advocate for peace and stability across the globe.
“President [Donald] Trump is a man of peace. He, along with his team, played a key role in bringing about the ceasefire between Pakistan and India,” said the prime minister while speaking to reporters at the UN.
The premier’s remarks are to be taken against the backdrop of backdrop of the armed Pakistan-India conflict, which saw Washington brokering a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbours after New Delhi launched attacks inside Pakistan — under the pretext of targeting terrorists — which it said were responsible for the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
India’s attacks prompted Pakistan to launch Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos after downing six Indian Air Force fighter jets, including three Rafales, in response to Indian unprovoked aggression. The conflict eventually ended via a US-brokered ceasefire for which Pakistan has credited President Trump while also nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Since then, Islamabad and Washington have been engaged with each other in high-level interactions, between both civil and military leadership. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshall Asim Munir first visited US back in back in June, and held a rare one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
The army chief, then again visited the US in August to attended the retirement ceremony of outgoing Commander United States Central Command (Centcom), General Michael E Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony and further engaged in high-level interactions with senior political and military leadership.
Since then, the Islamabad and Washington have also finalised a much-hyped trade deal — reflecting improving relations between the two countries.
— With additional input from Reuters.
