Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Sunday urged six foreign ministers of Muslim countries to adopt a holistic approach to meet the challenges within the Muslim Ummah as well as the external factors that confront the Islamic world. We must have a clear vision of the way forward. We also need to act with resolve and determination and cannot simply be spectators of the tragic circumstances that continue to aggravate the situation, the prime minister said while delivering his inaugural speech to a one-day closed-door conference of foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia and Turkey, OIC Secretary General in Islamabad. The government released to the media the text of Aziz s speech. Palestine, the prime minister said, continues to be a festering wound that has caused tremendous suffering to Palestinian brothers and sisters and has agitated the minds of two generations of Muslims across the world. This grave issue is one of the root causes of frustration, anger and extremism in the Islamic world. Durable peace in the Middle East demands a honourable solution of the Palestinian issue based on justice, equity and realism, which must be in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Palestinian people. In this context, we welcome the recent Makkah Accord that should bring calm to the Palestinian territories. We hope that that the establishment of the National Unity Government will help progress towards the realization of the objective of a sovereign and viable State of Palestine. It is high time that substantial progress is made towards this end, Aziz said. The prime minister said the turmoil and spiraling violence in Iraq is a source of deep concern and anguish to all of us. This dangerous conflict must be brought to an end at the earliest. Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity are of utmost importance to us and must be preserved. The Iraqi people must be enabled to decide their own destinies. Similarly, he said, we need collective efforts to arrest tensions in Lebanon and discourage forces that could push that country towards internal strife. Peace and democracy in Lebanon must be preserved. The prime minister said other issues in the Middle East, such as the tensions over the Golan Heights should also be resolved through negotiations with all the stakeholders of the issue. There are also ominous developments signaling new dangers on the horizon, especially in the shape of tensions over the Iranian nuclear issue, Aziz said adding that it imperative that use of force is avoided and everything is done to resort to diplomacy for a solution and for maintaining peace in the region. We cannot simply afford another conflict, which will not remain confined to the region and can have very serious consequences for all of us. The prime minister said the increasing tensions, unresolved disputes and the daily mayhem on the streets of Iraqi cities are feeding radicalism and extremism. There are disturbing tends of rising sectarian tension in the Muslim societies. We need to jointly adopt a strategy to fight these negative trends which endanger peace and harmony of the Ummah, he said. Aziz said more than ever before, we need to work for peace, harmony and conciliation amongst the Muslims. We have to re-establish ourselves as true to our noble faith of peace, compassion and tolerance. Simultaneously, he said, we need to counter the sinister campaign against Islam and undertake to bridge the widening gulf between the West and the Muslim world. We need a holistic approach to meet the challenges within the Muslim Ummah as well as the external factors that confront the Islamic world. This is the challenge before you in building a new fresh initiative, which should be supportive of all sincere efforts for resolving disputes and for building solidarity among Muslim states. The several proposals and initiatives before us should be seen as being complimentary and not mutually exclusive. The prime minister said all of us agree that the way forward is not through confrontation and discord but through understanding and dialogue. He was sure that the deliberations the conference would hold would have far reaching implications for addressing the challenges before us and for building a better future for the Muslims Ummah. In recent weeks, Aziz said, President Pervez Musharraf visited capitals of these Muslim countries and some others for consultations with the leadership on the deteriorating security and conflict situation in the Middle East. There was a convergence of views on the urgent need for a strong new initiative to address the outstanding issues and foster peace and conciliation in the region, he said. King Abdullah, the custodian of the two holy mosques, graciously agreed to convene a summit meeting for this purpose in Makkah. You have gathered to pursue this objective and consider preparations for the summit. This is an important first step on a long journey to bring peace and prosperity in the Islamic world, the prime minister said.
