\u2018No strings attached\u2019: UAE minister calls for Strait of Hormuz to be\nopened unconditionally<\/p>\n
Dr Sultan Al Jaber\u2019s remarks come after Singapore Foreign Affairs\nMinister Vivian Balakrishnan said the country will not negotiate for\nsafe passage through the strait as doing so would undermine fundamental\nprinciples of international law.<\/p>\n
The UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology on Thursday (Apr\n9) called for the Strait of Hormuz to be opened unconditionally, adding\nthat access to the vital waterway was currently being \u201crestricted,\nconditioned and controlled\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran has made clear - through both its statements and actions - that\npassage is subject to permission, conditions and political leverage.\nThat is not freedom of navigation. That is coercion,\u201d Dr Sultan Al Jaber\nsaid in a LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n
Iran, the US and Israel reached a tentative, two-week ceasefire on\nWednesday in the war that tore across the Middle East and disrupted the\nglobal energy market. The deal involves the US suspending attacks on\nIran, with Tehran in turn temporarily reopening the strait.<\/p>\n
However, an Iranian official said on Wednesday that the waterway -\nthrough which around a fifth of the world\u2019s oil and gas flowed before\nthe US-Israeli war on Iran began nearly six weeks ago - could be\nreopened by Friday in a limited fashion under Iranian control.<\/p>\n
Tehran had also indicated earlier this week that, under a permanent\npeace deal, it would seek to charge a fee for transiting ships.<\/p>\n
Dr Al Jaber, who is also managing director and group CEO of the UAE\u2019s\nstate oil giant ADNOC, said the strait was not built, engineered,\nfinanced or constructed by any state, and that no country had a\nlegitimate right to determine who may pass and under what terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a natural passage governed by the United Nations Convention on\nthe Law of the Sea, which guarantees transit as a matter of right; not a\nprivilege to be granted, withheld or weaponised,\u201d he wrote, stressing\nthat it must be opened with \u201cno strings attached\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strait must be open - fully, unconditionally and without\nrestriction. Energy security and global economic stability depend on it.\nThe weaponisation of this vital waterway, in any form, cannot stand.\nThis would set a dangerous precedent for the world \u2013 undermining the\nprinciple of freedom of navigation that underpins global trade and,\nultimately, the stability of the global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The matter is \u201cparticularly urgent\u201d for Asia, where 80 per cent of\nwaiting cargoes are bound and half the world\u2019s population lives, he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE\u2019S POSITION<\/p>\n
Dr Al Jaber\u2019s remarks come after Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister\nVivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday that the country will not negotiate\nfor safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz as doing so would\nundermine fundamental principles of international law.<\/p>\n
Responding to a parliamentary question by Member of Parliament Fadli\nFawzi (WP-Aljunied) on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider\npaying a toll for its vessels, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that transit\nthrough such waterways is a right - not a privilege.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a right of transit passage,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is not a\nprivilege to be granted by the bordering state, it\u2019s not a licence to be\nsupplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
He emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz, like the Strait of Malacca\nand the Strait of Singapore, is a waterway used for international\nnavigation. This right is codified in the United Nations Convention on\nthe Law of the Sea, to which Singapore is a signatory.<\/p>\n
Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that\nhave not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a \u201cget-out-of-jail-free\ncard\u201d for them.<\/p>\n
MALAYSIA\u2019S GOOD RELATIONS WITH IRAN<\/p>\n
Malaysia\u2019s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday emphasised that\nthe country\u2019s good international relationships have helped it navigate\nthe current Middle East situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMalaysia is fortunate because our international relations are very\nclose with all countries \u2026 whether it is myself, the foreign minister or\nother Cabinet members - to ensure we have a better understanding of the\nsituation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking during an address at the Transport Ministry, the prime\nminister cited Malaysia\u2019s good relations with Iran and how it helped the\ncountry secure passage for its Petronas ships.<\/p>\n
Malaysia\u2019s foreign ministry confirmed on Tuesday that the first of\nseven Malaysia-owned commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz\nhas transited the strait and is en route to its final destination.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the ship\u2019s passage followed high-level diplomatic\nengagement between both countries\u2019 leaders and foreign ministers in\nMarch.<\/p>\n
The ministry\u2019s statement came a day after the Iranian embassy in\nMalaysia\u2019s announcement. \u201cWe had said that the Islamic Republic of Iran\ndoes not forget its friends,\u201d the embassy posted on social media\nplatform X.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-strings-attached-uae-minister-calls-for-strait-of-hormuz-to-be-opened-unconditionally-1775742665", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }