Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 10/02/2007
At the invitation of the Indonesian Government, the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, will be undertaking an official visit to the Republic of Indonesia where he will meet with H.E. Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Speaker of the Indonesian Legislative and Consultative Council. The Secretary General will also hold a working session with H.E. Dr. Noer Hassan Wirajuda, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia. High on the agenda of these meetings will be the current conditions and issues of concern to the Islamic world, particularly the issue of Palestine, the situation in the Middle East region, Iraq, and Lebanon. The meetings will also touch upon the revamping and development programme which the Secretary General has initiated at the Organization of the Islamic Conference, particularly the proposed overhaul of the OIC Charter and the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action adopted by the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 2005. Alongside the political issues a significant part of the official visit will be devoted to the humanitarian situation in the Republic of Indonesia. In this respect, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu will take first hand cognizance of the OIC Alliance Programme to assist the orphaned children, victims of the Tsunami of 2004. The OIC, it is worth noting, had opened an office to this effect in Banda Ache and has been offering help and care to the victims thanks to the assistance it had received from a number of Member States (especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey), from non-governmental organizations and from philanthropists around the Islamic world. He will attend the inauguration ceremony of the OIC Alliance Orphan Program. The Secretary General will also visit the region of Yogyakarta which was hit by an earthquake in 2006 and attend the inauguration of the OIC Village comprising of 100 houses. The Secretary General who will also inspect the effects of the recent floods in the Indonesian capital, has already expressed his sympathy and solidarity with Indonesia and launched an appeal to the Islamic and international humanitarian agencies to intervene promptly and extend their assistance to the victims of this catastrophe. Following his visit to the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu will be travelling to Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, where he will attend the OIC Parliamentary Union’s meeting and meet with senior Malaysian officials, foremost of whom, Mr. Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister and current Chairman of the Islamic Summit.
