Speech of his Excellency Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu

 secretary general of the organisation of the Islamic conference

 

At the thirty-fourth session of the Islamic conference of foreign ministers

 

ISLAMABAD – ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN

15-17 MAY 2007

 

Honourable Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

 

                I would like to begin by greeting you all as we begin the proceedings of the 34th Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers. Allow me, at the outset, to say how much privileged we are and grateful to the people and Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for hosting this Conference. We cannot thank them enough for all the marks of hospitality as well as the gracious and warm welcome with which we have been met.

 

                I would also like to pay a special tribute and express my profound gratitude to His Excellency Pervez Musharraf, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, for his patronage, and for gracing this meeting by his personal presence. His constant support for joint Islamic action and his unswerving effort to champion the just Islamic causes, is a strong testimony to his deep-seated belief and conviction in the inevitability of Muslim advancement, progress and ascent.

 

                We feel delighted to assemble here in this beautiful capital city of Islamabad of this great country Pakistan, historic bastion of Islam, and a rich fountain spring of Islamic civilization.

 

I wish also to thank our outgoing Chairman H.E. Mr. Elmar Maharram oglu Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for his sincere dedication to furthering Islamic goals and objectives. I am grateful to him for his guidance and tremendous assistance and cooperation with the General Secretariat in discharging its duties throughout a full year of fruitful cooperation and achievements. We very highly appreciate all the efforts exerted to make Azerbaijan’s tenure of office a very successful one, marked with hosting several important Islamic meetings and activities.

 

Honourable Ministers,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

               

                Our Muslim world is facing a defining moment in its history. Even as we speak we realize that the major problems afflicting us do not show any tendency towards receding.

 

It is customary that a situation like this, drives people to mobilize their potentials and spurs them to combine their resources and unify their ranks, in order to overcome their difficulties. The Summits of Putrajaya and Makkah Al-Mukarramah brought this issue to the fore and a blue-print for hope was made available to us through the 3rd Extraordinary Islamic Summit held in Makkah in December 2005. The adoption by the Summit of the Ten-Year Programme of Action gave us a practical and workable road-map to realize our objectives.

 

                The Ten-Year Programme of Action is a historic turning point. It was meant to bring joint Islamic action closer to reality and implementation. It contained all the needed requirements for freeing ourselves from the entanglement of despair and dispersal.

 

                The Programme is a rare occasion which will empower us to turn the challenges we are facing to an opportunity to act. We should seize this moment and define our destiny rather than leaving the others to define our destiny according to their agenda.

 

                We, in the General Secretariat, in discharging our responsibilities with steadfastness and dedication, had to summon all our energy and power to ensure that the Ten-Year Programme of Action is implemented. We have worked out a very detailed and comprehensive “Road-Map” for its implementation, and for keeping track of the progress of implementation. Moreover, we have put this question on the agenda of all important meetings of our Organisation, all through the ten-year implementation period.

 

                At the level of the General Secretariat, we started to implement the provisions of the Programme which fall within our ambit. We have established the Executive Committee called for by the Programme, based on the system of troika. This Committee started to function, held many meetings and proved to be extremely useful.

 

                Over the past year, we have managed to introduce major reforms required by the Programme. We have overhauled the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), and turned it into a supreme international Islamic authority in religious matters. It has started to work in its new capacity, rendering crucial services to Islam and the Muslim world, notably by regulating the proliferation of Fatwas.

 

                The same effort has been devoted to the Islamic Solidarity Fund, with a view to injecting more efficiency in its work and expanding its scope of activities. This task is still continuing and new meetings to that effect are already scheduled.

 

                In implementation of the Ten-Year Programme of Action, concerning the amendment of the OIC Charter, we have covered a considerable distance. We have convened a high-level panel composed of highly eminent Muslim personalities representing the OIC three regional groups to review the Charter and to elaborate a new vision, objectives and principles to be enshrined in the amended Charter. The Panel met twice, reviewed the Charter extensively and introduced the necessary amendments therein. The panel was comprised of former President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Mr. Suleiman Demirel; former Prime Minister of Malaysia H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed; former Foreign Minister of Indonesia H.E. Mr. Ali Alatas; former OIC Secretary General H.E. Dr. Hamid Algabid; former Secretary General of the Gulf Countries Cooperation Council (GCC) H.E. Mr. Jamil Al-Hujailan; former Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) H.E. Mr. Moktar Mbow; former Judge of the International Court of Justice H.E. Dr. Nabil E-Arabi; and former Foreign Minister of Algeria H.E. Mr. Lakhdar Ibrahimi.

 

                The amended text of the Charter was submitted to a Committee of prominent legal Muslim experts commissioned for a legal review. This Committee carried out a study of the draft from the legal perspective and finalized the text of the New Revised Charter. This Committee was comprised of: H.E. Mr. Sharifuddin Pirzada, Senior Legal Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan and former OIC Secretary General; H.E. Ambassador Javad Zarif, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Mr. Nugroho Wisnumurti, Member of the International Law Commission(ILC) and former Indonesian Diplomat; and Professor Babacar Gueye from Senegal. 

 

                Given the paramount importance of this document, it has been put to the consideration of the Meeting of the Senior Officials’ Preparatory to the 34th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers which was held in Jeddah from 14 to 16 April, 2007.

 

                The Senior Officials’ Meeting examined the text of the new revised Charter in two sessions and a consensual view emerged to hold a special session of an Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts to continue the consideration of the said text.

 

                The Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts on reviewing the Charter met in five consecutive days (6-10 May 2007) and held exhaustive discussions and examinations on all the different articles and chapters of the Charter and introduced amendments on different preambular paragraphs and articles and redrafted several paragraphs to the text. The Group was able to complete the first review of the Draft Amended Charter on the basis of consensus. A limited number of paragraphs remained for discussion, to be completed by the Special Committee here in Islamabad, as a prelude to be brought to your consideration and approval.

 

Honourable Ministers,

 

                These endeavours and others have been going on in synchronicity with the creation of the OIC Observatory on Islamophobia at the General Secretariat which is tasked with monitoring and documenting in an interactive manner any activity propagating hatred, discrimination and intolerance against Muslims around the world.

 

                In this context, we reacted promptly to the blasphemous caricatures published in a Danish newspaper and put this issue on the agenda of the international community, including particularly, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN General Assembly in New York, and UNESCO in Paris. By the grace of God and through close coordination with the OIC Groups in the aforementioned fora, we succeeded to obtain from the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council resolutions providing for the respect of religions with particular reference to Islam.

 

The issue of how to counter defamation of Islam and the phenomenon of Islamophobia have prompted us to seek your valuable views and visions in a brainstorming special Thematic Session that will take place later today. 

 

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

                In view of the turbulent situation prevailing in many parts of the Muslim world, and the need to voice our concerns, and emphasize our shared views regarding these volatile and disturbing events, we had to adopt a policy of direct interaction with events as and when they occurred, in close consultation with the concerned Member States. This method had earned us approval and acclaim from Member States, and from Muslim public opinion, as well.

 

                Our initiative in Iraq started with a fact-finding mission sent to Iraq last July that gathered needed information from the representatives of all shades of the political spectrum there. On the basis of these findings, and in total agreement with Iraqi officials, political and religious leaders, we organised a historic meeting of reconciliation based on a solemn commitment by the Sunnis and Shiites highest hierarchy to renounce and denounce sectarian killing, and a solemn pledge to respect the sanctity of human life and refrain from shedding the blood of their fellow Muslims on religious considerations.

 

                The meeting which took place in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in the vicinity of Al-Kaaba was a successful achievement. The parties gave their solemn pledge to abide by their sacred obligations, and to promote them in Iraqi media, mosques and houses of worship. This initiative met with notable success among Muslim circles the world over, and was welcomed internationally. This initiative has created a momentum of its own and will remain a fundamental pillar of any future settlement of the Iraqi crisis. Moreover, we have actively participated in all meetings that brought together Iraqi neighbouring countries, including the last one held in Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt early this month.

 

                In Palestine, we redoubled our efforts to effectively deal with the ongoing events. We also repeatedly called for the lifting of financial, economic and political siege unlawfully imposed on the Palestinians. We have been active party to bring about reconciliation among sparring Palestinian factions, through multiple visits to Palestine and numerous contacts with the Palestinian leaders. We carried the Palestinian issue with us to all our international meetings and contacts with foreign officials. I would like at this occasion to appeal from this rostrum to the highest Palestinian authorities to put an urgent end to the inner fighting which has erupted in the last few days in order to maintain the unity among the Palestinians in their common struggle to get rid of the occupation and attain their national aspirations.

 

We initiated action to counteract the illegitimate Israeli practices in the holy city of Al-Quds, including the excavations around and beneath the holy Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as the works destined to isolate the city from its Arab-Islamic environment. To that end, we convened an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee at the ministerial level upon the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

 

In dealing with the Somali issue, we dispatched two fact-finding missions to Somalia, to assess the situation on the ground. We were engaged in direct contacts with the Somali factions and leaders. I personally met many members of the Somali Transitional Government, including the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. Moreover, we arranged for a meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Somalia which was convened at the OIC Headquarters just a few weeks ago. We also decided to join our efforts with those of the League of Arab States and the African Union with the aim of establishing a cease-fire and restoring national reconciliation.

 

I have just completed an official visit to Afghanistan where I held discussions with His Excellency President Hamid Karzai and other Afghanistan’s high officials. I have also inspected a number of projects financed by the OIC Special Fund for Assistance of Afghan People and witnessed Afghanistan’s dire need for peace, stability and reconstruction. I would like to appeal to you all to make generous donations to the said Fund in order to continue and sustain its operation especially in the vital fields of education and human capacity development.

   

We dispatched a special mission to Kashmir, which met with the President, Prime Minister and senior officials of Azad Kashmir. The mission also met the military leaders of the Line of Control separating the two parts of Kashmir, and reaffirmed the calls of the OIC and the Muslim World on the need to implement the resolutions of the UN Security Council on Kashmir as well as expediting the search of a final solution to this problem. The mission supported and encouraged the initiatives of rapprochement between Pakistan and India.

 

The question of Muslims in southern Philippines has always been the centre of our preoccupations. We dispatched an OIC mission to Manila, which managed to persuade the Philippine Government to renew its commitment to the full implementation of the peace agreement concluded in 1996 with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the OIC General Secretariat. A special meeting for this purpose is scheduled to take place in Jeddah during the month of July 2007.

 

In the same vein, intensive contacts with the Government of Thailand and prominent Muslim leaders there are underway with a view to reaching a peaceful and negotiated settlement of the question of Muslims in southern Thailand.

 

In this context, I paid an official visit to Thailand at the beginning of this month and conducted a series of meeting with Thai officials including the Prime Minister, the President of the Council of National Security, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior Affairs. I expressed to my interlocutors OIC’s deep concern over the situation in the troubled Southern Border Provinces, and encouraged them to accelerate the ongoing process of accountability as a means of building confidence among the local Muslim populations and to grant them greater responsibilities over their own affairs, within the framework of the Constitution. My concerns were favourably acknowledged and, upon my request, a general amnesty for those involved in the violence in the Southern Border Provinces was announced. I hope that this constructive and promising attitude will be an example to other issues concerning Muslim minorities.

 

In implementation of the resolutions adopted by the ICFM, urging the promotion of effective solidarity with the Turkish Muslim Cypriot people in various domains, such as culture, trade and tourism, relations between the OIC and the Turkish Muslim people of Cyprus have witnessed a marked evolution. The General Secretariat has organised a visit of a large high-level delegation comprising ranking officials of the General Secretariat and representatives of most of the OIC Subsidiary Organs, Specialized and Affiliated Institutions. The delegation conducted several meetings with the Turkish Cypriot Government, and was briefed on the political and economic situation there. The visit was met with great satisfaction and appreciation by the Turkish Cypriot officials, who saw in this move a prelude to more active relations with the OIC Member States.

 

An International Conference on the Role of Media in the Development of Tolerance and Mutual Understanding was held in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, late last month in collaboration with the OIC. This commendable initiative focussed on the role of the media in advancing tolerance, dialogue among civilizations, dissemination of the culture of dialogue, inter-faith dialogue, and the need for combating the phenomena of Islamophobia and projecting the true image of Islam.

 

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

                In the field of information and the media, we have dedicated a substantial part of our efforts to promote the true image of Islam, defend Muslims in the face of the hate campaigns waged against our faith, and its followers. In this context, we have seized all available opportunities and used all media platforms available to us to rebuff the negative stereotypes of the Western media, and to refute attempts to confuse Islam with terrorism.

 

It has become unequivocally clear that the Muslim world is in dire need to have an effective and influential joint Islamic mass-media to defend its causes. Accordingly, we were very keen to focus our efforts on the restructuring of the International Islamic News Agency (IINA) and the Islamic States Broadcasting Organisation (ISBO) in implementation of the resolutions adopted by the Seventh Session of the Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Information held in Jeddah in September 2005, and the Eighth Session of the Standing Committee on Information and Cultural Affairs (COMIAC) held in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2006. Given the vital importance of these two organs as the information arm of the OIC, we consider that this attempt at restructuring them represents the last chance to rescue and revitalize them before seeking other alternatives.

 

                On a different front, we have paid particular attention to humanitarian relief issues, pursuing our efforts to assist the victims of the Tsunami tidal wave which wreaked havoc at the Indonesian shores and other countries in South East Asia and beyond. The OIC Alliance to Rescue Tsunami Child Victims (ARTCV) has so far been able to provide relief to 3000 orphans in Indonesia by offering them shelter, food, clothing, health care and education. I have personally inaugurated different shelters built for these purposes during my last visit to Banda Aceh. Our hope is to be able to provide similar care for 15,000 children.

 

                On the African Continent, the OIC in cooperation with the State of Qatar and the Republic of Niger is planning to organise an International Donors Conference in June 2007 in Doha, to ensure assistance to the Republic of Niger in coping with the problems of cyclical droughts and food shortages and ensuring sustainable food security.

 

Distinguished Delegates,

 

                Strengthening economic bonds among Member States is the most effective way to foster real solidarity and unity. In our dealing with economic issues we always bear this fact in mind and work accordingly. Our action in this domain has been facilitated by OIC institutions like COMCEC, IDB, ICDT, SESRTCIC, and others.

 

                The holding of the Second Round of Negotiations under the Preferential Tariffs System (PRETAS), is a clear indication that we are on the right track. We are heading toward our target slowly but surely. It is our hope that concrete results will emanate from the trade Negotiation Committee before the end of the Second Round of negotiations by November 2007, so that the protocol could enter into force by January 2009.

 

The OIC General Secretariat, in collaboration with COMCEC and other OIC institutions, has made significant progress in the OIC Cotton Programme.  Three Expert Group Meetings were hosted by Turkey and have culminated in the adoption of the OIC Five-Year Programme on Cotton, focusing on Research, Trade, Manufacturing, and Investments.

 

The Fifth Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers held in Baku, Azerbaijan, adopted resolutions to strengthen collaboration among OIC Member States in tourism development, and to promote intra-OIC tourism, especially with regard to historical sites and cultural exchanges.

 

                A Forum was convened upon the initiative of the OIC General Secretariat in Ouagadougou in April 2005 and adopted several recommendations including making better use of existing facilities within the IDB, particularly the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector and the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investments and Export Credits.

 

                We have also supported other Islamic initiatives within the framework of capacity-building projects that have started to yield concrete results. In this connection, I would like to voice my deep sense of appreciation to the Governments of Malaysia and Turkey for demonstrating solidarity with the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), particularly in Africa.

 

                I would also like to praise the efforts of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade (ICDT) and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) for the new ideas they have introduced for the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action, and for revitalizing its performance to better serve the private sector.

 

The 3rd OIC Extraordinary Summit notably decided also to establish a Special Fund within the IDB to address poverty, with a view to providing job opportunities and defining mechanisms for its financing.

 

In variance with previous attempts to deal with poverty alleviation, the generous contribution of One Billion Dollars, by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to the Poverty Alleviation Fund established within the IDB is a propitious starter for this worthy effort. I would also like to thank the State of Kuwait for contributing a sum of 300 Million Dollars to this Fund. While thanking the other contributors, I would like to appeal to Member States who have not done so to generously contribute to this Fund.

 

I would like to thank the IDB for its efforts to implement the Poverty Alleviation Fund established under the Makkah Summit of 2005, and seize this opportunity to express my sincere conviction that the Fund should retain its original appellation to remain conform to the spirit and letter of the 3rd Extraordinary OIC Summit of Makkah.

 

I also would like to express my sincere appreciation to the ICCI for steering the establishment of the International Zakat Foundation under the leadership of H.E. Abdullah Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia and current Chair of the OIC; as well as to request the OIC General Secretariat to be a founding member of the Foundation.

 

On the Cultural field, the General Secretariat has been proactive and relentless in its efforts to promote the rich culture of Islam and engage itself intensively in dialogue with other faiths and civilizations.

 

                In this regard, we have maintained close relations with the European institutions, and engaged European public opinion in direct contacts or through organizing joint activities comprising thematic lectures, discussions or speeches in the intellectual or scholarly fora to expose the fallacy of misperceptions rooted in Islamophobia.

 

                Moreover, ISESCO and IRCICA have played a very prominent role in the field of propagating the true information about Islam and its culture. We appreciate their various and sincere efforts in this important domain.

 

                We have also been working with ISESCO and UNICEF on preparation for convening the Second Islamic Ministerial Conference on Children, as well as implementing the provisions of the Rabat Declaration on the Rights of the Child in the Muslim World. The OIC and the World Health Organisation had agreed to reinforce their campaign to continue their efforts to eradicate polio and other diseases in the OIC Member States. I am thankful to the Member States that made generous contribution to this effect.

 

The 1st Ministerial Islamic Conference on Women’s role in the development of OIC Member States was held in Turkey in November 2006 to discuss means, strategies, and programs to advance the status of women. In thanking Turkey for its commendable effort to host this Conference, I am happy to report that this meeting was a great success in setting up the agenda for women in the Member States.

 

 The General Secretariat is fully committed to strengthening and supporting educational institutions in the OIC Member States. Our efforts to obtain financial support for the Islamic Universities in Niger and Uganda have been noteworthy and this is reflected in the growth and development infrastructures, facilities, and educational standards. The General Secretariat is indebted to all those Member States, to Muslim NGOs and Waqf endowments, and to His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Governing Council of Sharja, United Arab Emirates, for their generous contributions. In addition, the situation of the Islamic University of Uganda has vastly improved, as it has been able to realize a financial surplus for the first time since 1988.

 

Distinguished Delegates,

 

On the level of Science and Technology, the OIC convened an informal open-ended Meeting of Ministers of Higher Education on the sidelines of the Third Session of the Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research held in Kuwait City, on 19 – 21 November 2006. The Ministers discussed ways and means to meet the mandated target namely “to strengthen selected universities in the field of science/engineering, with the objective of elevating at least 20 Universities within the OIC Region to the rank of the first Top 500 World Universities.” The Ministers also decided to establish a core group consisting of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Malaysia; COMSTECH; IDB; ISESCO; SESRTCIC; and the OIC General Secretariat. We are overjoyed by the fact that, thanks to the tireless efforts of its managers, COMSTECH has evolved from a policy-making committee into a vibrant and essential Science and Technology implementation institution. In this regard, there were calls to study the possibility of transforming the existing COMSTECH Secretariat into an OIC specialized organ.

 

Excellencies,

 

                We have persevered in our effort to restructure and reform the General Secretariat, and have managed to introduce new working methodologies which render our work in the administrative and financial field more efficient and transparent. We extended these methods to all OIC Subsidiary Organs.

 

                The performance achieved at all levels of our endeavour have positively affected the financial situation of the General Secretariat, with the collection of mandatory financial contributions of Member States improving substantially. The working cooperation between the General Secretariat and the Finance Control Organ has become exemplary.

 

                As OIC activities increase, we are called upon to open new offices in both Baghdad and Brussels in implementation of your resolutions.

 

                In line with the amendment introduced in the OIC Financial Regulations, the OIC Financial Year will henceforth conform to the calendar year. Therefore, the ordinary meetings of the PFC (Permanent Finance Committee) will be held in October of every year in order to consider the draft estimated budget for the annual term starting on 1 January and ending on 31 December of every year. Accordingly, the 36th Session of the PFC will be held in October 2007 in order to examine the Report of the 28th Session of the FCO and the 2008 Draft Estimated Budgets of the General Secretariat and Subsidiary Organs for approval.

 

                In this connection, I cannot but mention the generous donation of   US$ 1 million by the Islamic Republic of Iran and of US$ 2,500,000 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To them we say a very big thank you.

 

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

                In concluding my remarks, I would like to say that we are pursuing our efforts to enable the OIC General Secretariat to render the best possible service to our Ummah, through optimal use of the human and material resources at our disposal. We are endeavouring to promote Islamic solidarity, to bring Member States closer, and to unify their stands internally. We are doing our best to defend Islam as a revealed faith and as a radiant civilization, shedding light on its values, most prominent among them moderation, peace, tolerance and diversity. In the same vein, we are defending the major causes of the Muslim world, be it in Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Somalia or elsewhere. We have been able to do this thanks to your unwavering support and encouragement which we highly value and cherish.

 

                The journey before all of us, to reclaim for our Ummah its pioneering spirit and lofty position among the major contributors to the world’s progress and advancement, is still very long and arduous.  It is only through our determined efforts that we can realize our aspirations.  Let us, therefore, pray that God Almighty will grant us His help and assistance to carry out our mission.

 

                May God Almighty crown your proceedings with success.