TheCable

The federal government says there was no Nigerian representative at the inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

Al Jazeera had reported that Nigeria was among the countries that were represented at the event.

A presidential official had said Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, queried the Nigerian ambassador in Israel, based on the report.

But in a statement by Tope Elias-Fatile, spokesman of the foreign affairs ministry, the federal government said its position in the Israeli-Pakistanian conflict has not changed.

“The attention of the ministry of foreign affairs, Abuja, has been drawn to some misleading online reports and discussions that Nigeria was represented at the official opening of the embassy of the United States of America in Jerusalem, Israel, on Monday 14th of May, 2018,” the statement read.

“The ministry wishes to clarify that neither the ambassador nor any member of staff of the mission attended this event.

“Therefore, we would like to reassure the general public that the official position of the government of the federal republic of Nigeria for a two state solution to resolve the Isreali-Pakistanian conflict has not changed.”

The decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel had drawn criticism from Europe and Washington’s main Arab allies.

The relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem also generated widespread condemnation from Palestine and led to the deaths of at least 51 persons.

The move followed the declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital by Trump in December.