Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 27/09/2014
HRH Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the current session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, opened the Annual Coordination Meeting of the OIC Foreign Ministers on Friday, 26 September 26 2014, in New York on the sidelines of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. In his opening speech, Prince Saud al-Faisal addressed the Palestinian issue where he said that Israel’s rejection of international peace efforts and insistence on confiscating Palestinian lands, establishing settlements in the West Bank and the City of Jerusalem, and changing its geography and demography, obligates the international community to strongly interfer to stop Israeli aggressions and pressure it to resume the peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on the basis of international references and the Arab Peace Initiative. On the Syrian crisis, he stressed that the Syrian people have the right that we stand by them and defend their legitimate rights against the regime, which refused all international and regional efforts and calls to opt for peace, save the Syrian people from bloodshed and protect their honor and dignity. Prince Saud also approached the situation in Iraq, Yemen and the threat of terrorism; he also touched on the subject of Islamophobia and Muslim communities in non-OIC member states.
Following the Saudi Foreign Minister, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Iyad Amin Madani, delivered his speech in which he referred to the Organization's efforts in convening a special session of the United Nations Council for Human Rights and the adoption of a resolution calling for the dispatch of an international commission to investigate all violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including war crimes and crimes against humanity that may have been committed during the recent Israeli military aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip. Moreover, during the last period the OIC also sent a delegation to the Gaza Strip to consider what the OIC can do to support the Palestinians there.
Madani said that the OIC seeks to combine the humanitarian efforts in the Strip with a real political process that includes, as main components, adherence to the national unity government, consolidation of the right of decision-making in its own hand, and resumption of a peace process that proceeds from the Palestinian and Arab steadfast tenets, under the sponsorship of a capable and impartial party, because it is inconceivable for a sponsor of negotiation to be one of its parties at the same time. The OIC also hopes that the reconstruction projects would bring hope in the future, and perhaps the reconstruction of the Gaza airport and conducting studies for the establishment of a seaport, will enhance confidence in peace and stability.
The Secretary General pointed out that this year’s UN General Assembly focused on combating terrorism and extremism. The OIC was a pioneer, among its counterparts of international organizations, in the adoption of a Code of Conduct in 1994 and the Convention to Combat International Terrorism in 1999. He said: “I believe the OIC should be at the forefront in combating terrorism, within the framework of this convention, as this would categorically refute the allegations propagated by terrorist groups like Boko Haram or ISIS who justify their heinous terrorist activities perpetrated in the name of Islam. In this context, he acknowledged the support provided by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to the UN Counter-Terrorism Fund and to the African Union’s Peace and Security Council anti-terrorism programs in the African continent.”
On the other hand, the Secretary General pointed out that the OIC Member States in West Africa- Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea and Sierra Leone- are facing the deadly Ebola epidemic, which has overburdened their health facilities and capabilities. He added that coordination has been set with Indonesia, as the chair of the Council of health Ministers of OIC, to convene an extraordinary meeting of Health Ministers of the Member States to elaborate a common plan towards confronting this epidemic. Furthermore, the OIC, the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund are preparing a set of procedures and immediate support to those affected countries. He appealed to the Member States to stand together in support of the OIC to be able to provide immediate, direct and effective support for those Member States facing this epidemic.
On a different note, the Secretary General said that we have to look at woman from another perspective. Women in the Member States of the OIC are among the most segments of society in need of recognition and to be given the opportunity to contribute to all the efforts of the OIC, especially in the areas of combating poverty and strengthening the cohesion of the social fabric. He said: “There is no time we spend or benefits gained from accepting any explanation that does not grant women their rightful place and role prescribed for them by Islam long time ago. We look forward to your support for the next meeting on the Status of women in the Member States to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan at the end of next month.”
Then, the OIC Special Envoys for Mali, Djibril Bassoli, for Myanmar, Sayed Hamid Albar, and for Central African Republic, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, presented their reports on the latest developments on their issues and their efforts to find a solution.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, as Egypt is the Chair of the current session of the Islamic Summit, also delivered a speech at the opening session where he emphasized Egypt’s support for the Palestinian cause and pointed out that Egypt will host a donors' conference for the reconstruction of Gaza next month.
