MAHATHIR: ALL NATIONS SHOULD PEACEFULLY RESOLVE CONFLICTS

       Cairo, 9 Rajab 1434/20 May 2013 (MINA) – Former Malaysian prime minister, Mahatir Mohamed,  has called on states all over the world to peacefully resolve their disputes without resorting to war and its heavy costs.

      “If you kill one person you will be hanged, but you can kill thousands under the claim of war, which we regard as legitimate despite being a crime in itself,” Mohamed said during his speech at a conference organised by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Sunday (19/3), Ahram quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting. 

       Mohamed asserted that a “struggle” is currently needed in order to “make war an international crime.”

       “Political negotiations and arbitration, under the umbrella of international law, as the only acceptable means for settling conflicts between states, pointing out that Malaysia counted on such methods to settle its old conflicts with Thailand and Indonesia,” he added.

       “We decided to enhance economic cooperation with Thailand, while an international court emphasised the right of Malaysia to possess two islands previously under dispute with Indonesia,” he stated.

       Mohamed warned against possibilities of war in Asia due to disputes between Japan on the one side and North Korea and China on the other.

       “Since wars are not regarded as a crime, the world cannot be regarded as civilised yet,” he concluded.

       Mohamed was the longest-serving prime minister of the largely Muslim state of Malaysia, occupying the post from 1981 to 2003. His tenure was defined by substantial infrastructure projects.

       He is also the founder of the Perdana Global Peace Foundation, which advocates for putting an end to wars and paving the way for global peace.

       The foundation calls for the criminalisation of all commercial, financial, industrial and scientific activities that aid and abet war.

       It believes that all national leaders who initiate aggression must be subjected to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. (T/P03/E1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)