The Secretary-General of the UN called on Tuesday for “serious negotiations” to end the war in the Middle East that has “no military solution.”
“There is no military solution to this crisis. Peace agreements require persistent engagement and political will. Serious negotiations must resume,” Antonio Guterres stated at a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York, referring to the discussions held last weekend in Pakistan between Tehran and Washington.
In the meantime, the ceasefire between the United States and Iran “must be preserved,” and freedom of navigation must be “respected by all parties,” including in the Strait of Hormuz, he emphasized.
“It is time to show restraint and responsibility. It is time to prioritize diplomacy over escalation,” he added, advocating above all for respect for international law that is currently being “trampled upon” worldwide.
“The disregard for law creates chaos, fuels suffering, and leads to destruction,” he warned.
Asked about the start of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday, dragged into the war by the Shiite Hezbollah movement, Guterres believed that no one expects them to “bring a solution to all problems.”
“However, it will be very important if these talks create the conditions for a change in the behavior of the actors,” he hoped, accusing Israel and Hezbollah of “mutually assisting” each other so far “to destabilize the government of Lebanon” by justifying their actions based on each other’s.
“It is time for Israel and Lebanon to work together, instead of having Lebanon fall victim to this negative combination of actions by Hezbollah and Israel,” he pleaded.
AFP
