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OIC Continues Amid Approval Of Doha Decision
DOHA (IslamOnline) – The foreign ministers of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), wound up their second session here tonight under the chairmanship of Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor al-Thani.
IslamOnline learned that ministers referred a draft statement related concerning the Palestinian issue and the holy al-Aqsa Intifada (uprising) to the drafting committee headed by Nabil Shaath, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation in the Palestinian National Authority.
The drafting committee was expected to meet later Friday night to issue a related final draft before submitting it to OIC foreign ministers at their session Saturday morning.
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi welcomed the decision by the state of Qatar to close an Israeli trade office in Doha and confirmed that Iranian President Mohammad Khatami would take part in the OIC summit due to convene in Doha on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters here today, Kharrazi said his country was very much pleased and warmly welcomed the Qatari move announcing the closure of Israel’s representation office in Doha.
“I believe it is the correct decision to be taken by the future chairman of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” Kharrazi said.
Meanwhile, it was officially announced in Tehran Friday that Iranian President Mohammad Khattami will take part in the Islamic summit in Doha Sunday.
Asked whether he expects the closure of the Israeli trade office to be permanent, Kharrazi said: “certainly the closure will not be during the summit.”
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa has termed Qatar’s decision on closing Israel’s trade office in Doha as a good and sound step.
Speaking to reporters, Moussa said the Qatari decision came in harmony with the consensus of opinions at the conference, stating that he hoped that the Islamic summit would help boost cooperation and amity amongst its members.
Qatar’s stand towards Palestinian rights is firm
Al-Thani asserted that Qatar’s stand towards basic issues in the Palestinian issue is firm, noting that this stand has not changed, and will remain unchanged except when Palestinian rights are restored and the peace process gets back on a genuine course and not that of one created to appease calls for calm.
Foreign Minister Al-Thani said the decision on closing the Israeli trade office in Doha came upon instructions from Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in appreciation of calls and concerns from Islamic leaders.
FM al-Thani denied the existence of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Israel affirming that the Israeli office was only a trade representation office, stating that there are related international arrangements applicable in this respect.
Asked about the absence of the state of Bahrain from the conference, FM al-Thani said Bahrain’s government and people have all the respect, appreciation and amity of the Qatari government and that it is up to Bahrain to attend or not, noting that if its failure to attend the conference is connected with the Qatar-Bahrain border dispute, they (Bahrain), had came in the past to Doha, and Qatar went to Manama, despite the fact that the dispute was still in the international court of justice.
“The main Islamic issue now is that of al-Quds [Jerusalem] and we have to reach a consensus on it and we should at the same time discard our side rifts,” FM al-Thani noted.
In response to a question on whether trade deals existed between Qatar and Israel, the minister said that only limited trade dealings existed.
OIC foreign ministers held a special session on al-Quds and on Israeli practices against the Palestinian people immediately after the ceremonial conference opening, FM al-Thani said, adding that the ministers will hold another related session Saturday.
FM al-Thani said that when he visited Gaza last week, he saw himself how tragic the situation was as a result of brutal Israeli practices against unarmed Palestinians.
Concerning decisions to be taken regarding the Palestinian issue and the Palestinian Intifada, the minister said the two issues are still under discussion and “I can't predict now what exactly will be decided by the ministerial or the summit conferences.”
Touching on the Arab summit held recently in Cairo, the minister noted that its decisions were serving Arab interests, describing the summit as “an opportunity, as Arabs, to consider our circumstances and seek a mechanism and regular plans to confirm to the world that we are able to have our influence on the international arena,” the minister said.
He denied that Qatar came under pressure to close the Israeli trade office, affirming that Qatar neither violated the decisions taken by the Arab summit nor any agreement reached with other Arab and Muslim nations. “We appreciate them all and wished them to appreciate our feelings,” FM al-Thani said.
The decision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is of concern and we respect it, the minister said, in reference to the Kingdom's decision on not to attend the Doha Islamic summit.
Concerning the history of Qatar’s relations with Israel, FM al-Thani said relations began two years after the Madrid conference. No relations or cooperation with Israel existed before that time; that is to say, before the start of the peace process between Arabs and Israelis initiated, which provided for the restoration of the Arab lands occupied in 1967 and the return of only 22% of Palestine, the minister explained.
Asked about Qatar’s stand towards the peace process, the minister said Qatar has no plan in this respect, as plans are in the hands of Washington, the sponsor of the peace process.
He called on the United States, as the sponsor of the peace process, to be fair as there is disappointment over views of American bias in favor of Israel.
The U.S., as the peace process sponsor, should bring serious pressure on Israel to force it to stop killing Palestinians, FM al-Thani noted.
Palestinian official welcomes Doha’s decision
Palestinian Minister of International Cooperation, Nabil Shaath welcomed the Qatari decision on closing the Israeli trade office in Doha.
In a statement, Shaath described the decision as a positive step as it came after similar decisions taken earlier by the Sultanate of Oman, Tunisia and Morocco.
The decision is an Arab and Islamic message to Israel, which continues its aggression and violations of peace requirements, Shaath commented.
Touching on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's current visit to the United States, Shaath said that Arafat carries with him demands that include providing international protection for the Palestinian people against the Israeli aggression.
Shaath expressed hopes that U.S. President Bill Clinton will show an understanding for Arafat’s visit.
Iraq, Indonesia, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Oman, Arab League and PLO happy with Qatar decision
Iraq, Indonesia, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Oman, the Arab League, and the PLO political bureau in Tunis hailed Qatar’s decision on closing Israel’s trade office, describing the move as sound and a move in the right direction.
In remarks in Doha Friday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Saeed al-Sahaf termed the decision courageous.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shehaba, Sudanese Foreign Minister Mostafa Osman Ismail, and Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hamoud, who are all attending the OIC foreign ministers conference, welcomed the decision as well.
In Yemen, a presidential source expressed satisfaction over the decision.
In Doha, Oman’s Foreign Minister Yousf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid, and the PLO political bureau in Tunis lauded the move.
In reply to a question on Saudi Arabian-Kuwait-Iraq differences, Sheikh al-Thani said, ''there are not differences, but just views, and we, as chairman of the OIC, are working to deal with such views outside the framework of the official meetings to maintain the general atmosphere and the good spirit prevailing the OIC summit deliberations.''
Asked about the Iraqi-Kuwaiti differences on the wording of the final communiqué, FM al-Thani said that he is considering the question with the delegations of the two countries (Kuwait and Iraq) and he is hoping that a reconciliatory formula satisfactory to the two sides could be reached.
Crown Prince to lead Saudi delegation to Islamic summit
Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of the National Guard, Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, will lead Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the Islamic summit, it was officially announced here today. The decision was announced in a statement by the Saudi royal court.
Meanwhile, sources in Abu Dhabi said Sheikh Hamad bin Mohamed al-Sharqi, member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) supreme federal council and ruler of fujairah will lead the UAE delegation to the summit, representing president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.
A senior delegation will accompany al-Sharqi
Islamic economic committee concludes meeting
The Economic, Social, Administrative, Finance, Science, and Technological Committee, an offshoot of the OIC ministerial council, wound up its meeting here today.
Qatari Finance, Economy and Trade Minister Yousef Hussein Kamal, who chaired the committee meeting, said that one of the main decisions made by the committee concerned the creation of an Islamic common market.
The committee also underlined the need for supporting the Palestinian people and their Intifada (uprising), adding that decisions were taken supporting the poor and least developed countries of the OIC.
Among the decisions taken by the committee to be submitted to the Islamic summit on Sunday is a study on restructuring the OIC General Secretariat in order to cope with the requirements of the new century, Kamal said.
Qatari Foreign Minister al-Thani also hoped that a strong Islamic common market be set up to help carry out development projects in Islamic countries.
On Qatar’s possible role to help solve the Kashmir dispute, the minister stressed that his country is ready to give a hand in solving the thorny problem, “we will not hesitate if we could do something,” the minister noted.
U.S. Embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem
On the stand of the U.S. towards moving American embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, FM al-Thani said Americans were keen on not taking such a step as it would be a biased move … and America has interests in the region, he explained.
He denied that Qatar notified the United States beforehand on its plan to close Israel’s trade office in Doha. “We have distinct relations with America, but this does not mean that to be in agreement with America on every thing,” the minister noted.
We are keen to have relations with the United States not because we are afraid … we also thank U.S. for its role towards the issue of Palestine, but this role was not enough and it (the U.S.) should play a greater role in solving the issue.
Peace is a strategic demand, and the state of Qatar is keen to see peace prevailing everywhere, FM al-Thani concluded.
Iraqi and Iranian foreign ministers meet on sidelines of OIC conference
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Saed Sahaf and his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, met here today on the sidelines of the OIC foreign ministerial meetings now in session in the Qatari capital.
The two ministers reviewed the current situation in occupied Arab lands, Hezbollah’s victorious restoration of south Lebanon, the Arab and Islamic situation in general, and means of bolstering relations between their two countries.
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