Corbyn Slams Saudi War In Yemen, «Israeli» Oppression

Local Editor

Britain's opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has vowed to pursue a foreign policy that will not fuel conflicts but solve them if elected, while criticizing Saudi Arabia for its "cruel" war in Yemen and urging Myanmar to end the violence against the Rohingya.

Corbyn made the comments in an energetic speech at the Labor Party conference in Brighton on Wednesday.

In his wide-ranging address, which was largely focused on Britain's future after its exit from the European Union, the Labor leader said he would put the pursuit of peace and human rights at the center of his foreign policy if he became prime minister.

"There is no bigger test in politics right now than Brexit, an incredibly important and complex process, that cannot be reduced to repeating fairy stories from the side of a bus or waiting 15 months to state the obvious," Corbyn said.

The Labor leader added, "As democratic socialists, we accept and respect the referendum result, but respect for a democratic decision does not mean giving a green light to a reckless Tory Brexit agenda that would plunge Britain into a Trump-style race-to-the-bottom in rights and corporate taxes."

Regarding UK foreign policy, Corbyn said: "Terrorism is thriving in a world our governments have helped to shape, with its failed states, military interventions and occupations where millions are forced to flee conflict or hunger.

"We have to do better and swap the knee-jerk response of another bombing campaign for long-term help to solve conflicts rather than fuel them. And we must put our values at the heart of our foreign policy," the Labor leader said adding, "Democracy and human rights are not an optional extra to be deployed selectively."

He also called for greater accountability by governments engaged in conflicts around the world.

Corby slammed Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen saying: "We cannot be silent at the cruel Saudi war in Yemen, while continuing to supply arms to Saudi Arabia, or the crushing of democracy in Egypt or Bahrain, or the tragic loss of life in Congo."

He went on to discuss the plight of the Rohingya Muslims who are facing a deadly crackdown by the Burmese regime.

"I say this today to Aung San Suu Kyi, as a champion of democracy and human rights: please, do all you can to end the violence now against the Rohingya in Myanmar and allow the UN and international aid agencies in to Rakhine state," Corbyn said, "The Rohingya have suffered for too long!"

Furthermore, the Labor leader denounced the "Israeli" oppression of Palestinians saying: "Let's give real support to end the oppression of the Palestinian people, the 50-year occupation and illegal settlement expansion and move to a genuine two-state solution of the ‘Israel'-Palestine conflict."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team