TEHRAN, December 23 - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the 35 countries, which abstained in the recent UN General Assembly Jerusalem vote, would have voted in favor of the resolution had they not been under pressure.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The UN's 193-member General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution on Jerusalem al-Quds by an overwhelming majority, calling on the U.S. to withdraw its recognition of the city as Israel's ‘capital’.
A total of 128 members voted in favor of the Jerusalem resolution, nine countries voted against and 35 others abstained.
Speaking in an interview with AllAfrica ahead of a three-day trip to Sudan, Chad and Tunisia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed U.S. President Donald Trump would reconsider his decision after the UN vote.
"35 countries abstained in the vote. Actually, the ones who abstained, did so under very serious pressure. Otherwise, if they had been comfortable, I believe they would have sided with the other 128 countries," Erdogan said in the interview published on Saturday.
Trump had warned that aid would be cut to those countries voting against Washington’s move at the General Assembly.
On Dec. 6, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s ‘capital’ despite worldwide opposition. The decision has sparked angry demonstrations across the Muslim world.
Erdogan and other top Turkish officials have been at the international forefront opposing the U.S. move.
Erdogan reiterated that a two-state solution was necessary for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Source: Anadolu
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