Hasan hopes arms supply to Israel to be stopped

Foreign Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today hoped supply of weapons to Israel will be stopped as weapons are now being used to kill aid workers of the western world after killing of innocent women-children and general Palestinians.

He said this while responding to journalists over the Wednesday's incident of killing of 7 aid workers including citizens of the UK, Canada, USA, Australia and Poland in the Israeli attack, reports BSS.

Before talking to journalists, the foreign minister joined the memorial meeting on journalist and advocate Ataur Rahman Shamim at Jatiya Press Club on Topkhana Road in the capital this afternoon.

Strongly condemning the Israeli attack in Gaza, Dr Hasan said crime against humanity has been committed with this attack.

Israel's atrocity, brutality and killing mission on Palestinians are going unabated, he said, adding that aid workers have been killed there which is beyond imagination.

Hasan said that Israel is also defying the ceasefire resolution passed in the UN Security Council, he said. He hoped after this incident, the western world will take action against Israel.

The minister said that the Awami League government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is against any war. "We were beside the Palestinians, we are still now beside them and will always be," he said.

"Of course we believe in the two-state policy. But peace lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital based on the 1967 demarcation, otherwise there will never be peace in the region," he said.

Earlier, in the memorial meeting, Dr Hasan recalled checkered career of founding editor of weekly Ganabangla and founding leader of Awami League's United States unit Advocate Ataur Rahman Shamim who was killed in a fire at Bailey Road in Dhaka recently.

The minister also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul.

He emphasized on keeping adequate fire fighting system in buildings and highlighted the contribution of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn & Plastic Surgery to provide treatment to fire victims.

Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary, said those who launch arson attack in the name of politics, who burn people to death, cannot have the right to do politics.

They are not politicians, they are miscreants, he said.

BNP-Jamaat clique who carry out arson terrorism in this country is still active to do so, he said, adding those who provide money to them, they are the leaders of those miscreants.

Bangladesh Mofswal Journalist Society and weekly newspaper Ganabangla jointly organized the memorial meeting.

Former Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, MP, late Ataur Rahman's daughter Fardin Rahman, former acting secretary general of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad Central Command Council Safiqul Bahar Majumder Tipu, AL's industries and commerce affairs sub-committee member Lion Mashiur Ahmed, AL Youth and Sports Sub-Committee member Mahmud Al Prince, Bangladesh Mofswal Journalist Society Chairman Sumon Sardar also spoke on the occasion.

AL leader MA Karim chaired the meeting which was conducted by MA Bashar.

Bangabandhu Academy secretary general Humayun Kabir Miji, Bangladesh Swadhinata Parishad general secretary Shahadat Hossain Toel, Jubo League leader Manik Lal Ghosh, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote joint general secretary Muhammad Rokan Uddin Pathan, Bangabandhu Dustha Kalyan Sangstha President Mahbub Hossain recalled the memories of Ataur Rahman.