TEHRAN, Iran/ GENEVA, Switzerland: Iranian delegates walked out of UN climate talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday in protest over the presence of Israeli representatives, state media reported.
The Iranian side considered Israel’s presence at COP28 “as contrary to the goals and guidelines of the conference and, in protest, it left the conference venue”, Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian, who headed the Iranian delegation, was quoted as saying by the official news agency IRNA.
Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Gurerres said he deeply regretted the resumption of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Friday and hoped that a truce could be re-established.
“I deeply regret that military operations have started again in Gaza. I still hope that it will be possible to renew the pause that was established. The return to hostilities only shows how important it is to have a true humanitarian ceasefire,” the United Nations secretary-general said on X, formerly Twitter. —AFP
