President Mamnoon Hussain, Erdogan discuss US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel capital

Speaking to his counterpart Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Mamnoon Hussain discussed the Trump administration's decision to recognise the occupied city of Al Quds Al Sharif [Jerusalem] as the so-called capital of Israel and the plan to relocate the American embassy there during a telephonic call.

The Turkish president telephoned President Mamnoon to deliberate upon the negative impacts of the decision. Sources told the Anadolu Agency that the two leaders emphasised the affects on regional peace and stability. The historic decision overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East.

President Trump recognises disputed city of Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Erdogan stressed that no lasting peace can be achieved in the Middle East unless an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Eastern Jerusalem as capital under the borders of 1967 is formed. he also discussed the issue with leaders from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Malaysia, Tunisia and Sudan earlier on the day.

Islamabad joined the international community in expressing its strong opposition and condemnation of the US decision on Wednesday. The government welcomed announcement by Turkey to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on December 13 to discuss this serious issue.

The US declaration to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital calls into question seven decades of deliberate diplomatic ambiguity about the final status of a holy city vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. It leaves many angry US allies and leaders across the Middle East trying to find a measured response and hoping that the tinderbox region is not destined for yet another round of bloodletting.