Saudi Arabia urges world to find Rohingya crisis solution

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said the issue of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar is of top concern for the Kingdom.

It called on the international community to intensify its efforts to stop the apparently systematic ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya Muslims.

It also stressed the need to intervene to find a humanitarian solution to protect the Rohingya minority from acts of violence and collective punishment they experience.

This came in the Kingdom's speech before the 36th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) during the interactive dialogue with the independent internationally mandated fact-finding mission on Myanmar.

The Kingdom's speech was delivered by Saudi Ambassador to the EU Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Wasel at the UNHRC in Geneva. Al-Wasel strongly condemned the recent violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority, which has resulted in the displacement of thousands of civilians.

"Saudi Arabia regretted that the government of Myanmar continues to prevent the fact-finding mission from entering Myanmar and to play its part in order to detect serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law against the Rohingya Muslims," he said.

The Kingdom also regretted that Myanmar authorities had prevented humanitarian and relief organizations from access to the Rakhine region to provide humanitarian and relief assistance to those affected.

He stressed the Kingdom's position that the UNHRC should address these violations and alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya Muslims and compel Myanmar to respect its international obligations to promote and protect human rights without discrimination based on race, sex or religion.

"Myanmar is asked to cooperate fully with the fact-finding mission to look at human rights violations there and to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence in all sectors of the state," Al-Wasel said.

The Myanmar government is also asked to allow the fact-finding mission to visit affected areas to carry out its assigned role, and to allow access of humanitarian and relief organizations to provide assistance to those in need, the Saudi envoy concluded.