ANKARA

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters welcomed US President Donald Trump’s plan on Tuesday to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

Peters said in a speech to the UN General Assembly last week that New Zealand desperately wants diplomacy to succeed and believes it is the countries with real leverage that are most likely to achieve a breakthrough -- one that would demonstrate true global leadership.

"New Zealand therefore welcomes the United States’ ‘Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza’ as an example of such global leadership," he wrote on the US social media company X.

He urged the parties to seize the important opportunity to end the conflict and fully implement the terms of the proposal.

"New Zealand wants to see an immediate end to this disastrous conflict," he said.

Trump on Monday outlined key points of his Gaza ceasefire plan during a news conference in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The proposal includes the release of Israeli captives and the disarmament of Hamas.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid