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Singapore welcomes the announcement of a two-week ceasefire<\/a> in the Middle East, and the commitment under the ceasefire to restoring shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n The war, now in its sixth week, has claimed more than 5,000 lives in nearly a dozen countries, including at least 1,600 civilians in Iran, according to a Reuters report based on tallies from government sources and human rights reports.<\/p>\n Pakistani sources have purportedly said mediation efforts to halt the war nearly collapsed<\/a> as Iran struck a Saudi petrochemical facility on Tuesday, but the country’s military and civilian leadership continued speaking to senior United State and Iranian, Saudi and other officials until Trump announced the breakthrough.<\/p>\n Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday (April 8) night that they “are encouraged that the parties involved have taken this important step towards de-escalation and commend the efforts of the mediators, in particular Pakistan”.<\/p>\n It also urged the parties involved to adhere to the ceasefire, and halt all attacks on non-belligerent states, while engaging in negotiations “in good faith” for a lasting resolution to be reached.<\/p>\n MFA said Singapore also welcomes the commitment to restore shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n “We call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international law, restore safe and unimpeded transit passage in the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the United Nations Convention (UNCLOS) on the Law of the Sea, and ensure the safety of seafarers and ships,” MFA added.<\/p>\n In Parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore will not engage in negotiations for safe passage of ships or on toll rates<\/a> because it goes against the right of transit passage set out in international law.<\/p>\n “It is not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid. It is a right of ships to traverse,” the minister explained, adding that Singapore ratified the 1982 convention in November 1994.<\/p>\n Citing Article 44 of the convention, which provides that states bordering straits “shall not hamper transit passage”, and Article 45, which states that there “shall be no suspension of innocent passage through such straits”, Dr Balakrishnan reiterated Singapore’s position that this right is part of customary international law.<\/p>\n @asiaone<\/a><\/p>\n In Parliament on Tuesday (April 7), Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan explained why it is important for Singapore to uphold the principle of right of transit passage, and not engage in negotiations on toll payment or safe passage for ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. #sgnews #Singapore #Parliament #MiddleEast #War #Shipping #Maritime<\/p>\n \u266c original sound – AsiaOne<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n The US-Israeli war on Iran has nearly halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which in normal times carries about a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas, in what the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called the most substantial supply disruption ever.<\/p>\n More than 80 per cent of the crude that passes through the Strait is headed for Asia, making the region one of the hardest hit by the oil shock<\/a> and leaving both consumers and governments to find ways to ease the rising cost burden<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam, who chairs the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee<\/a>, said Singapore has not had to take more drastic measures due to the position it has put itself in before the crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n But the minister cautioned that potential disruptions to domestic energy and electricity cannot be ruled out if supply to Singapore is further affected.<\/p>\n [[nid:733211]]<\/p>\n‘It is not a toll to be paid’<\/h2>\n
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