Us Ambassador Malaysia Has Not Presented Itself As Mediator Between Us Hamas

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Malaysia has not presented itself as a mediator between the United States and Hamas, said US ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan.
“I’ve not heard Malaysia present itself as a mediator and I think we have strong concerns,” Kagan said on BFM’s “The Breakfast Grille” show this morning.
He did not specify what the concerns were.
The US has strong ties with Malaysia and its government has an understanding of Malaysians’ opinions on the war in Palestine, Kagan (above) added.
In May, Anwar met the Hamas delegation, led by its political leader Ismail Haniyeh, during the former’s three-day official visit to Qatar.
He later defended the meeting, saying that he and Ismail have been friends for decades.
The premier explained that during the meeting, he pleaded to Ismail to abide by calls for conciliation, accept the two-state solution to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the swapping of prisoners.
“It is an offence (to meet Ismail?) Am I promoting terrorism? (My answer is) No.
“I urged (Ismail to abide by conciliation efforts) because I have an advantage. What’s my advantage... I know them (Ismail/Hamas) and they see me as a friend,” Berita Harian quoted Anwar as saying when asked about his meeting with the Hamas delegation.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim meets Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in QatarUS not complicit in war crimes
Kagan denied the complicity of the US in war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.
He was asked to comment on a statement Anwar made during an interview that was aired on Al Jazeera, in which the prime minister said that he cannot deny US complicity in the mentioned war crimes.
“I think obviously we categorically reject the idea of being complicit in war crimes.
“And I think that the idea that the US is complicit in war crimes is something that we just don’t agree with,” Kagan said.
The US and Malaysia share similar goals in bringing peace to the conflict and providing Palestinians with humanitarian aid, he said.
“We’re very proud of the fact that going back 10 years, 15, 20 years, the US has consistently been the largest single donor to the Palestinian people,” he added.
He urged caution when using the term “genocide” to refer to the conflict in Palestine, as the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on the matter made it clear that Israel has a right to defend itself.
In response to the death toll of Palestinians, he said that the US is deeply concerned.
“We’ve called on all sides to take appropriate steps to reach a ceasefire. We hope that Hamas will take the appropriate steps that will allow a ceasefire and it is obviously in their hands,” he said.
The number of deaths is also less important than the principle that civilians should not be targeted and Israel must take every step to ensure this, he added.
Strong relations in Southeast Asia
On US-China tensions, Kagan said that his country’s relations with Malaysia and Southeast Asia are not primarily driven by China.
“We have long had very strong relations in the region. I think you know we were one of the very first countries to recognise Malaysia and its independence on August 31, 1957.
“We have had American companies and Americans doing business in Malaysia for over 130 years. We opened a consulate in Penang in 1918.
“We opened a consulate in Kuala Lumpur in 1947, driven in part by the desire to stand with Malaysia as it faced a communist insurgency that was quite brutal and challenging,” he said.
He also said that the US understands the reluctance of Southeast Asian countries to be drawn into the US-China rivalry. - Mkini

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