NIGERIA ABSTENTION FROM UN PALESTINE RESOLUTION ‘BIG DISAPPOINTMENT’

Jeddah, 10 Rabi’ul Awwal 1436/1 January 2015 (MINA) – The Palestinian representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said in a statement Wednesday (31/12) that Nigeria’s abstention from a UN vote on Palestinian statehood was a “big disappointment” in light of the country’s historical support for the Palestinian cause.

Muhannad al-Akluk blasted the West African power in the statement, saying that voting against Palestine despite being a member of the OIC was a “clear contradiction.”

He also said it violated numerous resolutions passed at the Islamic organization’s summits in support of Palestine, Ma’an News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

Al-Akluk added that the United States’ stand against the Palestinian cause and the resolution were not a surprise for Palestinians, but that Nigeria’s abstention from voting was a “shock” and a disappointment for Palestinians.

The representative also said in the statement that such attitudes stand in opposition to the Islamic context and must be dealt with inside the OIC, highlighting the “unacceptable” contradiction that a member state of the group abstained from voting while European states voted in favor of the resolution. (T/P010/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)