TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Monday exchanged views with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan on the U.S. president's plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza.
In two separate phone calls, Araghchi discussed the developments in the West Asia region with the UN chief and the Malaysian foreign minister, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that the United States would take over Gaza and redevelop it after Palestinians are relocated elsewhere. He made the remarks at a joint press conference at the White House with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking to Guterres, Araghchi condemned the U.S.-Israeli plan to "forcefully relocate" Palestinians from Gaza to other countries, calling on the UN and the Security Council to adopt a "decisive and explicit" stance against the "dangerous conspiracy, which threatens international peace and security."
He added the proposal to forcefully displace Palestinians was in violation of all principles and regulations of international law and the UN Charter and, in fact, aimed at complementing Israel's plans of "genocide against Palestinians and eliminating Palestine."
He condemned Netanyahu's suggestion on Thursday to transfer Palestinians to Saudi Arabia, emphasizing that those remarks were "a clear example of Israel's rude approach."
The UN chief, for his part, expressed the organization's opposition to any plan that would relocate Palestinians from their homeland, stressing the need to respect the Palestinian people's legitimate rights.
Guterres added the forceful relocation of Palestinians from Gaza was "completely rejected and unacceptable," noting that the main priorities at present were to accelerate humanitarian aid delivery to Gazans and help reconstruct Gaza.
Making similar remarks in his phone call with the Malaysian foreign minister, Araghchi called on major and influential Muslim states to adopt a "decisive and consistent" stance towards the U.S. president's plan.
He also called for Malaysia's support for Iran's proposal to hold an emergency ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss and decide about Trump's "illegal" plan about Gaza.
Hasan elaborated on his country's position in condemnation of any plan to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza, noting that the forceful relocation of Gazans amounted to an "ethnic cleansing and is completely rejected."
He welcomed Iran's proposal for convening an OIC meeting, giving the assurance that he would take part in that meeting actively. ■
