PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA: Malaysia has expressed the hope that the emergency session of the United Nations General Asssembly (UNGA) will be able to come up with workable solutions on the crisis in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said that while it might be easy to make decisions, implementing them was another matter.

"We want every paragraph in the resolution to be translated into a follow-up action," he told reporters after opening the ministry's publicity programme on the international humanitarian aid in Gaza, held in collaboration with the Yayasan Salam Malaysia and Mercy Malaysia here.

The special session of UNGA was called following the request of 118 UN members that make up the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which includes Malaysia.

Israel's delegation had attempted to have the session cancelled, claiming it was against the procedure, but was overruled and the meeting was allowed to proceed. On Wednesday (14 Jan), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said, Malaysia was glad that its efforts to get the UNGA to hold the emergency session had not been in vain.

Abdullah said that the UN's ultimate objectives in Gaza would be a cease-fire which must be adhered to by all, a complete pullout of Israeli forces, and the dismantling of the blockade imposed by Israel.

Should Israel refused to implement the objectives, Abdullah said, the UN Security Council must pass a resolution to pave the way for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to enforce the cease-fire.

Rais said also expressed Malaysia's hope that the United States President-elect, Barack Obama, would bring changes to the way the US had been dealing with the situation in Gaza.

"Perhaps it is too early for us to say, but this is what we have been hoping for," he said. (Bernama)