Hassan Cheruppa Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has called upon the political, intellectual and religious leadership of Egypt to join hands to calm the prevailing situation and initiate constructive political dialogue to overcome the hurdles facing the country. In an interview with Saudi Gazette ahead of the two-day 12th Cairo Islamic Summit starting Feb. 6, Ihsanoglu announced that the pan-Islamic body will convene a special ministerial-level meeting of all stakeholders to solve the crisis in Mali. Ihsanoglu also ruled out the possibility of giving membership to the Syrian opposition alliance in the OIC for the time being. The OIC secretary general is currently in Kuwait to attend the UN-sponsored global donors conference on Syria which began Wednesday and will then head to Cairo to attend the summit, which has been delayed for over two years due to developments in the Arab world. Ihsanoglu said preparations are in full swing to make the Islamic Summit a great success. “We are assured that the summit will take place despite the prevailing situation and are working with the Egyptian government to ensure its success. The summit is being held at a time when the Muslim Ummah seeks ways to cope with their problems and challenges, and to pave the way for a full democratic system while ensuring full participation of the people, rooting out corruption and making the wheel of development and economic growth move forward vigorously,” he said. Referring to the current political situation in Egypt, the OIC chief said: “I really wish and pray that the spirit of cooperation and reconciliation will prevail and hope everybody will exercise restraint. The political, intellectual and spiritual leadership of Egypt should cooperate to calm the situation, address the masses and save the country through constructive political dialogue.” Ihsanoglu emphasized the need for reconciliation among the Egyptian people so they can move ahead and solve the problems facing the country. “What is happening in Egypt today is an outcome of the accumulation of problems for decades; insufficient infrastructure, a shattered economy, and of course, a situation of uncertainty because of the process of building a new constitutional system and political structure with a new constitution and parliament. All these are in the process of being developed or are under implementation. We need to convince everybody - the government, political parties and movements - that they must have a spirit of reconciliation and sacrifice for the nation. The Egyptian nation's interests are above any personal or political considerations,” he said.
Palestine on top of agenda Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, while speaking with the Saudi Gazette during last year's Haj, lauded the role of the OIC in taking up the struggle for Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Ihsanoglu emphasized that Palestine is still at the top of the OIC's agenda. “I agree with what Sheikh Sabri said and this is what we are doing. Protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem is a responsibility of the Ummah. We have already made a master plan for Al-Quds Al-Sharif in cooperation with the Palestinian authorities and we have presented this plan to OIC member states. We are awaiting feedback to the initiative which is aimed at bettering the living conditions of Palestinians by improving health, education and housing facilities. We are also making all efforts to put an end to the ongoing Judaization of Jerusalem,” he said. “The OIC exerted great efforts in helping the Palestinian Authority win UN observer status. Our efforts were also instrumental in the appointment of an independent international fact-finding mission by the UN to investigate alleged human rights violations during Israeli aggression against Gaza and this eventually culminated in the Goldstone Report,” he added.
Special conference on Mali On the situation in Mali, the OIC chief announced plans to hold a special meeting on the sidelines of the Cairo Summit. “We have been occupied with the Malian crisis from day one and, in different stages, we have been intervening on our own according to the decisions and resolutions of OIC ministers and heads of states. In accordance with the provisions of the charter, we have taken certain initiatives. I sent a humanitarian delegation, in cooperation with the United Nations, to Mali in addition to a high-level delegation, which met with all stakeholders. We attended meetings in Ouagadougou under the auspices of President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso. After the Extraordinary Makkah Summit last August, I appointed Djibrill Bassole, Foreign minister of Burkina Faso, as a special envoy of the OIC Secretary General for Mali,” he explained.
Syrian crisis Ihsanoglu renewed his call for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad to make sacrifices to save the Syrian people. He said at present the OIC is not in a position to accommodate the Syrian opposition coalition as a member state. “OIC can take any decision in this regard only on the basis of its charter which stipulates certain terms and conditions that the coalition has yet to accomplish. As a precondition, any country that intends to become a member of the OIC should have obtained membership in the UN,” he said while adding: “Despite international recognition enjoyed by the Syrian coalition as the sole representative of the Syrian people, it is still a political entity and not up to the level of a UN member state, and therefore the conditions of membership are incomplete.” Ihsanoglu used Kosovo as an example to explain why the Syrian opposition cannot be admitted to the OIC for the time being. “The OIC has exerted great efforts in Kosovo's bid to get UN membership, and it was recognized by more than 100 countries, including 30 OIC member states. Once the UN completes procedures of giving membership to Kosovo, the OIC will welcome it as its 58th member country,” he said. Other political issues that will figure on the agenda of the summit include the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and the situation in Somalia and Afghanistan. The summit will adopt a declaration on Islamophobia. It will also discuss several economic, social and cultural issues, including the plan to combat poverty in member countries and explore the possibility of establishing a common Islamic market.
