(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The OIC chief emphasized his organization’s plan to foster a strategic relationship with China. He underscored the OIC’s efforts to bring together the Sunni and Shiite leaders of Iraq to end sectarian violence there.
Ihsanoglu said the extraordinary Islamic summit, held in Makkah in 2005 under the initiative of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, was a turning point in the organization’s history. The summit adopted a 10-year program of action covering specific areas to boost the development of the Muslim world. He said the OIC is emerging as a key player in global politics.
“During the Makkah summit, it was agreed upon that all schools of religious thought, or madahib, should be treated equally. This happened for the first time in history. It was a revolutionary step and a major achievement of the OIC,” he said.
The Jeddah-based top Muslim body is the largest organization in the Islamic world and the second largest after the United Nations.
Referring to the OIC’s efforts to reconcile Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq, Ihsanoglu said: “In 2006 we succeeded in bringing together Sunni and Shiite leaders while sectarian violence was at its peak. We made them sign on a 10-point agreement.”
He added that the accord contributed to lessening Sunni-Shiite fighting in the country. The Iraqi government has commended the OIC for its reconciliation efforts. He said the Sunni-Shiite conflict was a serious issue. “When we invited these leaders, many of them did not want to come. We had to exert a lot of efforts to convince them to talk to one another and sign the agreement. When I visited Iraq in 2008, I found that they had become close friends,” he said.
Ihsanoglu spoke about efforts to strengthen his organization to play a vital role in the world in terms of conflict management and mobilizing support for Muslim causes. He said it was an OIC initiative that South African Jewish judge Goldstone was appointed to report on Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
He said the position of the OIC today is much better than what it was five years ago. “Until 2005, the OIC was not mentioned in any international forums and was not active in taking up issues except making some reactionary responses and taking routine decisions. Now the OIC is everywhere and active in all issues related to Muslims — Palestine or Iraq or Afghanistan or Darfur or Somalia or issues of Muslim minorities. Last September in our annual coordination meeting in New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acknowledged that the OIC had become a crucial partner of the UN. Never before has the OIC received such a comment from the head of that international organization.”
Ihsanoglu also emphasized the growing role of OIC member countries at the UN General Assembly, the Security Council and other UN organizations. “We have been successful in passing UN resolutions that serve the Ummah on issues such as Palestine, Islamophobia and membership in international organizations.”
There are five Muslim countries in the Security Council and 17 in the UN Human Rights Commission.
Speaking about OIC summits, he said the Makkah summit in 2005 and Dakar (Senegal) summit in 2008 were the most successful. There was a brainstorming session attended by more than 100 prominent scholars from different parts of the Islamic world before the Makkah summit, which proposed the 10-year program of action. “A paradigm shift was taking place in Makkah and Dakar.
The summit in Dakar approved a new charter, which has completely changed the organization,” he said.
The OIC chief also refuted the general perception that OIC resolutions are only on paper.
“This is not true. We are taking resolutions that we can commit ourselves to. We are now pressing the Security Council to consider the Goldstone report once again. We have also taken up the issue of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla,” he said, adding that 52 of its 57 member countries have recognized Palestine as an independent state.
Ihsanoglu explained the OIC’s efforts to strengthen cooperation among Muslim countries in different areas. “We have doubled our expenditure on research and development in science and technology. Intra-trade between OIC countries rose from 14 to 17 percent amounting to $500 billion.
He also spoke about a plan to establish a railway line between Dakar and Port Sudan. It will link the Atlantic with the Red Sea, and African countries with the Middle East.
“We have done a lot of work to implement this project. Technical and ministerial meetings have taken place,” he said. A feasibility study is being conducted for the railway that covers more than 10,000 km.
Referring to Iran’s nuclear program, he said: All countries have the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. However, he said, the OIC opposed the move to use nuclear technology for making weapons of mass destruction.
He lambasted the West’s double standard toward Israel’s nuclear arsenal.
Referring to the organization’s efforts to establish peace and security, Ihsanoglu said the OIC is the largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping force. He also denounced the recent terrorist attack on a church in Egypt.
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