Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Monday that there is a vital need to respect the sovereignty of all nations which make up the international system.

Malaysia believes that only a universal commitment to multilateralism would avert the destruction of the international system, Abdullah said when opening the Malaysian Heads of Mission Conference in Putrajaya, Federal Administrative Center.

In this regard, the Prime Minister said that the United Nationsmust be empowered not only to maintain peace and security but alsoto be the reliable guarantor of national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries.

He said that what happened to Iraq has shattered the confidenceof the world's people in the inviolability of national sovereignty.

"Events surrounding the case of Iraq are symptomatic of the prevailing dominance of unilateralism over multilateralism. For the survival of the international system, we need to promote a return to reason and moderation through dialogue and reconciliation," said Abdullah.

Abdullah said Malaysia welcomes the transfer of sovereignty to the interim government of Iraq, hoping that UN will play an important role not only in the transition process but also in the reconstruction of Iraq.

On June 28, the United States handed over sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government two days earlier than scheduled, with a surprise ceremony formally ending 14 months of occupation.

Governments around the world have categorically welcomed the earlier transfer of sovereignty in Iraq with a few expecting that it would quickly halt spiraling violence in the country.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also urged the international community to be resolute in upholding the right of the Palestinianpeople to national independence and the exercise of sovereignty intheir own state of Palestine.

Source: Xinhua