UM del - 2005-06 - Bilag 71: Endeligt kommuniké fra OIC's første ministermøde den 15. marts 2006

Final communiquéAdopted by the first ministerial meeting of the executive committee of theorganization of the Islamic conference (OIC troikas)JEDDAH — KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA15 SAFAR 1427H (15 MARCH 2006)1.Based upon the decision of the 3rdExtraordinary Summit Conference held in MakkahMukarramah on 7-8 December 2005 and after consultations made by the OIC Secretary-General with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Yemen, Chairman of the 32ndSession ofthe Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) and the Foreign Minister of Malaysia,Chairman of 10thSession of the Islamic Summit Conference (ISC), the OIC Secretary Generalconvened the First Ministerial Meeting of the Executive Committee[1]of the Organization of theIslamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 15 Safar 1427H (15 March2006).2.An invitation for participation was also extended to the Foreign Minister of Palestine[2]and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Iraq since the two issues of Palestine and Iraq werethe Meeting's agenda.3.The Meeting was chaired by Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Qurbi, the Foreign Minister of the Republicof Yemen and Chairman of the 32ndSession of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers(ICFM).4.The Meeting discussed the following items included on its agenda---The publication of the defamatory caricatures.The issue of Palestine.The Situation in Iraq.

THE PUBLICATION OF THE DEFAMATORY CARICATURES5.The Secretary-General presented a report on the efforts made and the measures takenby the General Secretariat to address the crisis which arose from the publication of thedefamatory caricatures in September 2005 until the recent visit made by the Secretary-General to the United Kingdom from 8 to 10 March 2006. The participants expressed theirappreciation for the extensive efforts and the important contacts made by the Secretary-General in this regard.6.The Meeting took note of the Tripartite Statement issued upon the initiative taken bythe Secretary-General and signed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and theEuropean Union (EU) High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy on 7February 2006. The Meeting also endorsed the Joint Doha Statement issued on 25 February2006.7.The Meeting considered the conclusions issued by the EU Council of Foreign Ministers on27 February 2006, which were extremely disappointing for the Muslim World. Theseconclusions had clearly acknowledged that "freedoms comes with responsibilities" and that"freedom of expression should be exercised in a spirit of respect for religious and other beliefsand convictions. Mutual tolerance and respect are universal values we should all uphold".Regrettably, the conclusions did not include any agreement on taking collective steps toprevent the recurrence of such defamations in the future.

8.The Meeting agreed that the OIC Member States and the OIC Secretary General wouldcontinue to review and exert efforts at all levels in order to achieve the following objectives:(a)The adoption of a resolution by the 61stsession of the UN General Assembly with a viewto preventing the defamation of religions and religious symbols, proscribing blasphemy,the denigration of all prophets, and preventing the recurrence of such defamatory acts infuture.The implementation of the Doha Statement, particularly with regard to developing acomprehensive strategy to prevent the defamation of religions and take necessarymeasures to that effect.The effective utilization of both the EU-OIC Joint Forum as well as the Alliance ofCivilizations, with a view to encourage dialogue and mutual understanding amongcultures and civilizations.The intensification of contacts with the international community, particularly Europeancountries, with a view to urging them to engage in greater cooperation and encourageMuslim Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to initiate a constructive dialogue, usegood offices, and follow up this issue with their European counterparts with a view topromoting the true values of Islam and underlining the tolerant and humanitarianmessage of Islam.

9.The Meeting urged all OIC Member States and Muslims worldwide to exercise rationalityand restraint in meeting the challenges of the current crisis.THE ISSUE OF PALESTINE10.The Meeting commended the Palestinian legislative elections, which have demonstratedthe ability of the Palestinian people to organize free and democratic elections, as attested byall observers. The meeting expressed its appreciation and respect for the will of the Palestinianpeople. The Meeting further reiterated its full support for the Palestinian National Authority(PNA) and its institutions and for the Palestinian national dialogue aimed at forming a national-unity government. The Meeting called on the international community to respect the will of thePalestinian people and avoid any preconceived judgments on the new Government. TheMeeting also invited the international community to refrain from applying prohibitive standardsto the elected Palestinian leadership. The Meeting called on the Quartet Committee to bringnecessary pressure to bear upon Israel in order to put an end to its practices, which are incontradiction with the Roadmap and the international legality, and condemned the unilateralIsraeli measures carried out by the occupation authorities, including the isolation of theeastern sector of the West Bank (the Jordanian Ghor) from the rest of the Palestinianterritories.11.The Meeting strongly condemned Israel's brutal aggression on Jericho jail on 14 March2006, which resulted in the killing of a number of Palestinians and the arrest of the PopularFront's Secretary General and his inmates. This aggression further demonstrates Israel'sviolation of international agreements and conventions. The Meeting, accordingly, appealed tothe international community and the Quartet to immediately intervene in order to put an endto the continuous Israeli aggression and to ensure the immediate handing over of thePalestinian inmates back to the Palestinian authority.12.The Meeting requested the international community to stop the double standard policyin dealing with the Palestinian issue and to adopt balanced measures towards the legitimate

rights of the Palestinian people so as to relieve them from the daily suffering and aggression towhich they continue to be exposed.13.The Meeting called for empowering the Palestinian people to establish their independentPalestinian State with Al-Quds al-Sharif as its capital on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative,the Roadmap, the UN Security Council Resolution 1515, and other relevant internationalresolutions. The Meeting called on the international community to support and help thePalestinian people and their national economy to meet their urgent needs in the occupiedPalestinian territories.14.The Meeting reaffirmed the centrality of Al-Quds Al-Sharif for the Muslim Ummah andcondemned the Israeli measures aimed at altering the Arab-Islamic identity of this holy city byattempts to isolate it through settlements and separation wall; by depopulating it; and byattacking its Islamic and Christian sacred shrines. The Meeting therefore underlined theseriousness of the Israeli threats and warned of the dangers to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque,particularly from the excavations that Israel is making beneath the very foundations of theHoly Al-Aqsa Mosque and the attempts by extremists to assault this sacred shrine.15.The Meeting paid tribute to the efforts of the Secretary-General of the Organization ofthe Islamic Conference (OIC), including his international contacts to explain the position of theOIC on the issue of Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif. The Meeting urged continued efforts to bemade in cooperation with the Member States and the international community so as to exhortthem to continue to provide political and material support to the Palestinian people in order toenable them to achieve their independence and establish their independent Palestinian Statewith Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.THE SITUATION IN IRAQ16.The Meeting expressed deep concern at the deteriorating security conditions in Iraq,including attacks on mosques and other places of worship and warned against the graverepercussions of this situation, not only for Iraq but also for the entire region. The Meetingstrongly condemned all acts of terrorism and sectarian violence. The Meeting stronglyemphasized the need to preserve the sovereignty, territorial integrity and politicalindependence of Iraq and appealed to all Iraqis to transcend their differences and exercisemaximum self-restraint with a sense of national responsibility and to work with dedicationtowards accelerating the formation of a broad-based and all-inclusive government that meetsthe aspirations of all Iraqi parties.17.The Meeting expressed its support of all regional and international initiatives aimed atachieving national reconciliation in Iraq and also commended the efforts made by the Leagueof Arab States. The Executive Committee supports the call of Iraq’s neighboring countriesurging the international community to exert greater efforts aimed at achieving security andstability and rebuilding the Iraqi economy.18.The Meeting reaffirmed its determination to follow up developments in Iraq as well as itsreadiness to continue to work to restore a permanent and sustainable peace and stability. TheMeeting recommended to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, considering its credibilityamong Iraqis, to continue to work, in close coordination with the Arab League, towardsestablishing a climate of harmony and understanding that is conducive to building lastingpeace and security in Iraq and the entire region. The Meeting requested the OIC SecretaryGeneral to follow-up and co-ordinate related activities on this issue and recommended thefollowing measures:i.The establishment of an OIC Contact Group on Iraq.