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Mahathir supports total
non-interference by the superpowers in the Gulf .
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Malaysia backs Palestine State, Says
Mahathir
From Gulf News (Dubai, UAE), Tuesday March 2, 1982
By A. Bishtawi
ABU DHABI (WAM) Mahathir bin Mohammed, the Prime Minister of
Malaysia, said here yesterday that his country would like to see the
speedy creation of the Palestinian state and the return of Jerusalem
and the other holy places to their rightful guardians.
He said the political line followed by Malaysia was the one
acceptable to the majority of countries in the Middle East.
"We are very sympathetic to the Palestinians and we think there
should he a formula acceptable to the countries of the Middle East
which serves as a basis for discussions and possibly we could reach
minimal areas of agreement on the Palestinian issue," he said.
Malaysia was among the first countries to accord the full diplomatic
status to the PLO.
Mahathir arrived here yesterday on a three-day state visit as part
of his tour of a number of states in the region. He will hold talks
with UAE officials on the trade and economic cooperation between the
two countries.
The Malaysian leader, who is visiting the UAE for the first time, is
accompanied by Foreign Minister Mohammed Ghazali Shafie and senior
officials from the Ministries of Economy and International Trade,
Planning and Industry and Petroleum.
"Malaysia, which is trying to carry the Middle East question to the
other members of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) may have
differences of view on the facts of the issue, but that is not very
important. What is important is our ability to explain, the case. We
understand your views and can explain them but whether we get the
support or not is another thing," Mahathir said in an interview with
WAM.
Dr Mahathir, 57, is currently touring four of the Arab Gulf
countries to follow up other tours made earlier by senior Malaysian
officials to pave the way for closer cooperation between his country
and the Gulf states.
"Politically, we can cooperate closely on many international issues
either bilaterally or within multinational organisations," he said
in the interview. He added that there would be a closer cooperation
between (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council that was set up in
Abu Dhabi last May by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Oman, Qatar and
Bahrain.
"Our experience in ASEAN should be a very good guide for the GCC. We
think we have come through a great deal of trials and mistakes which
we corrected and showed how small countries in particular can
cooperate to lessen the tension and possible aggression by others,"
he said.
Mahathir, who assumed his position in July (1981), said he is in
support of total non-interference by the superpowers in the Gulf
area. "This is our view and we have created that objective in our
region by declaring it a zone of freedom and neutrality, and I am
sure the people of the Gulf would also like that," he said
The Prime Minister stressed his country's advocacy of solidarity and
unity among Islamic states and said Malaysia feels close to the Gulf
States and thinks there is much that can be done to improve the lot
of Muslims around the world.
One of the important issues he wants to raise with the leaders of
the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia is improving trade relations. Asked
about the incentives available, the Prime Minister said his country
provides many special incentives although they are not directed at
any particular nation and he expressed the feeling that although
other countries have made use of the favourable conditions in
Malaysia "the Gulf states have not taken advantage of our
facilities."
"In some fields," he said, "Malaysia has already the needed
expertise where foreign participation is not required, but in other
fields of market potentials it is worthwhile for the Gulf States."
"Financial and technical cooperation is welcomed. We are not
thinking of high technology but rather of a two-way arrangement in
which finance is offered and technology provided by third partners
from the developed countries, he explained.
He noted that the economic activity in the Gulf seems to exceed any
similar activity in other regions, and although ASEAN countries are
the fastest growing states in the world, I do not think they compare
well with the Gulf," he said in his suite at the Abu Dhabi Hilton.
Malaysia is one of the fastest growing countries in the world with
an average annual growth of 8% but the world recession has dealt the
economy a blow since it is dependent on the export of several raw
materials including tin, rubber, palm oil, timber and petroleum.
While prices of other commodities were failing, the prices of tin
rose nearly 30 per cent since last July (1981) due mainly to
hoarding until the price declined sharply on the London metal
exchange last Friday breaching the floor level of the international
tin agreement.
Press reports have indicated that Malaysia has already begun
informal discussions with the aim of setting up tin group similar to
the OPEC, but Mahathir denied the report.
"Thee is no desire on the part of Malaysia to create any kind of
monopoly, but there is a very strong desire to break the kind of
monopoly that is being practised now," he said.
"Tin is being sold in the London metal exchange which makes and
breaks rules as it please. In most of the instances it is not to our
benefit and we would have to find a solution to this," he said. |
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