Statement by H.E. Mr. Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, Foreign Minister of Pakistan

At the meeting of the 33 ICFM, Baku, Azerbaijan, 19 June 2006

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure for me to warmly congratulate you and brotherly Government and people of Azerbaijan on assuming the Chairmanship of the 33 Islamic Conference of the Foreign Ministers. We are confident that under your able stewardship, the organization would effectively respond to challenges faced by the Ummah at this critical juncture. Let me also express my appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to me and my delegation in this beautiful city of Baku.

We also profoundly appreciate the contribution made by the Republic of Yemen, under the Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Abu Bakar Abdullah Al-Kirbi towards promoting and safeguarding interests and causes of Muslim Ummah.

Mr. Chairman,

The Muslim Ummah is faced with a wide range of internal and external challenges, yet we can overcome them if we pursue our objectives in a united manner. The Makkah Summit’s Ten-Year Programme of Action provides a clear and well-defined road-map to enable the OIC to address these challenges. The objectives of the Makkah Summit can only be achieved through timely implementation, which requires our collective political will.

The first priority is to reform and revitalize the OIC itself. The Ummah cannot wait any further. In this regard, we note the meeting of the High-level-Panel recently held in Turkey. Its recommendations should provide impetus to the reform process. In this connection, I welcome the statement today of H.E. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC, for his commitment towards the implementation of the Ten Year Programme of Action. The Secretary General has worked tirelessly for the causes of the Ummah, and we hope that under his leadership the OIC will become a vibrant and dynamic Organization.

In the political field the most important challenge remains the question of peace and security in the World, which continues to undermine efforts for socioeconomic development.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan is concerned at the situation in the occupied territories of Palestine. We have consistently extended an unflinching support to the Palestinian people. We remain committed to a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the issue, based on the relevant UN resolutions, the Quartet Roadmap and the Abdullah Peace Plan adopted by the Arab League. We must support and work towards the early establishment of a viable Independent Palestinian State.

Pakistan respects the outcome of 25th January Elections of the Palestinian Legislative Council. We are concerned at the economic and social plight of the Palestinian brethren, due to the withholding of financial assistance and custom revenues. In this context, Pakistan has announced a grant of US$ 3 million as economic assistance to the brotherly people of Palestine.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan’s position on the Iranian nuclear issue has been consistently clear. Pakistan is opposed to the use of force. Iran is our neighbour and a brotherly country. Iran has certain rights and obligations, which should be adhered to. We welcome the resumption of negotiations and hope these will lead to a peaceful resolution of the issue.

Pakistan supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and the United Nations and the OIC resolutions for the immediate vacation of all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including the enclave of Nagomo Karabakh.

Pakistan reiterates its solidarity with the Muslim Turkish Cypriot people and their rightful cause. Turkey’s 10-point Action Plan is a positive initiative that offers a useful opportunity for progress towards a just negotiated settlement.

Mr. Chairman,

Islamic countries have stood by Pakistan in supporting the Kashmiri peoples right to self-determination. They have also welcomed Pakistan’s efforts to resolve this dispute through dialogue with India in a just and equitable manner. Pakistan’s case rests on international legitimacy, the United Nations Security Council resolutions. President Pervez Musharraf has shown immense flexibility and courage in the ongoing composite dialogue with India. Pakistan wants a negotiated settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute which is acceptable, of course, to the people of Kashmir and also to Pakistan and India.

In this context, Pakistan welcomes the appointment of Ambassador Ezzat Kamil Mufti as Special Representative of the Secretary General on Jammu and Kashmir and expresses the hope that this appointment would facilitate implementation of OIC’s decisions on Jammu and Kashmir and an early resolution of this dispute.

As all of us know, two rounds of the composite dialogue with India over a span of two years have been completed, and the third round has now started. Pakistan is sincere to find a negotiated settlement. Whereas there has been some progress in Confidence Building Measures in different fields, we have not been able to resolve any outstanding disputes, including the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

History tells us that relations between Pakistan and India can deteriorate quite suddenly. It is, therefore, essential that we resolve outstanding disputes, including Kashmir, to ensure durable peace and security in South Asia, which is essential for the economic uplift of 1.4 billion people who live in our region.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Afghanistan, which are based on deep-rooted bonds of culture and common faith, history and heritage. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is a pre-requisite for regional peace and development. If Afghanistan suffers, so does Pakistan. If Afghanistan progresses, it is also to our common benefit. We, therefore, supported the Bonn Process and the Afghanistan Pact.

Pakistan hosted over four million refugees for about twenty five years. We still continue to host 2.6 million Afghan refugees. We look forward to the creation of such conditions in Afghanistan that would enable their return and reintegration so that they can contribute to Afghanistan’s development.

Pakistan will be Insha-Allah hosting the OIC Ministerial Conference on the problems of refugees in the Muslim states in cooperation with the UNHCR on 27- 29 November 2006 in Islamabad. We invite Ministerial level participation to consider an action plan for addressing this issue. There are more than 9 million refugees in the Muslim world, constituting about 45% of the entire refugee population of the world.

We welcome the establishment of an elected Iraqi Government and hope that it would be able to overcome the current security issues in the near future. The process of Iraq’s political consolidation and economic reconstruction should be supported by its Muslim brothers. Pakistan is ready to assist within our resources and capabilities.

Effective multilateralism is pivotal to collective peace and security. United Nations remains our best hope for international security and the furtherance of our interests in all fields. We should be cautious in the UN reform process, which should not be cloaked to erode the principles and purposes of the UN Charter, especially the sovereign equality of states. The OIC must closely coordinate its position on critical issues.

We must ensure that the OIC countries are represented adequately and continuously in an expanded Security Council, in proportion to their niimhr W11

respecting the principle of sovereign equality, each of the five existing regional groups in the UN should be enabled to elaborate arrangements for the optimal use of its allocated seats, including criteria for re-election and rotation and equitable representation of sub-regions and political groupings, such as the Islamic group, within each region. The OIC Member States should never accept proposals which would relegate them to second-class status by expanding the existing and inequitable centres of privilege.

Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including state terrorism. It is unfortunate that this menace has been wrongly associated with our noble faith. We must stress the importance of addressing the root causes of terrorism. Situations of grave injustice and repression involving Muslims, and conditions of poverty and lack of opportunity fuel extremism and terrorism. We must continue to ensure that in any proposed international instrument on terrorism, the definition is not at the expense of the right of self-determination of Muslim peoples living under colonial or other forms of alien domination and foreign occupation.

The recent publications and dissemination of blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the print and electronic media are extremely abhorrent. We stand for the promotion of inter-civilizational and inter-faith dialogue. Several valuable initiatives from the OIC countries have been advanced to promote this cause. The strategy of “Enlightened Moderation” emphasized by President Pervez Musharraf provides a visionary course of action to work towards this goal. The West must assist towards just and durable solutions to the longstanding disputes involving the Muslim people, while the Muslim World must carry on its own internal reform.

We should enhance the scientific and technological capability of the OIC countries. We should strive for mandatory contributions of .01 % of GDP of each member state to promote collective research and development in the field of science and technology, which would be carried out at national levels in all Member States. COMSTECH is doing a commendable job, and it should be adequately supported.

Pakistan deeply appreciates the brotherly assistance so promptly provided by the OIC Member States to assist us in managing the humanitarian disaster due to the devastating earthquake last October.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman, we look forward to hosting the next ICFM in Islamabad, and welcoming you all there. In this regard, we deeply appreciate the support of all OIC Member States, especially that of the brotherly Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.

I thank you.