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| October 12, 2003 | Sunday | Sha'aban 15, 1424 |
OIC to discuss Kashmir, Iraq
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11: The 57-member Organization of Islamic Conference on Saturday adopted the agenda for the Oct 16 Summit meeting, including Kashmir, Iraq and the widening gulf between Islam and the West on the issue of terrorism.
Officials had assembled in Malaysia’s administrative capital of Putrajaya ahead of the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting to consider the draft agenda for the OIC Summit.
Foreign Office’s spokesman Masood Khan told APP here after the meeting that OIC’s Secretary-General Abdulouahed Belkeziz, in his opening remarks at the meeting, had listed terrorism, dialogue among civilizations, campaign against Islam, Iraq, situation in the Jammu and Kashmir, Palestine and Afghanistan, among major issues that required careful consideration.
Referring to the Summit’s objectives, Mr Khan said: “... As a result of misperception, the gap between Islam and West is widening and one of the responsibility of the OIC is to bridge this gap.”
Stressing the need for greater cooperation among the Muslim states to find ways and means to resolve long-standing issues like Palestine and Kashmir, he said: “Because of the non- resolution of these festering issues, Muslims ... have been feeling that justice has not been done.”
Mr Khan said President Gen Pervez Musharraf would share his concept of “enlightened moderation” with the member states and try to underscore the point that the world had become a dangerous place owing to growing rift between the Islam and the West and it has to be addressed.
Referring to the issue of sending troops to Iraq, the spokesman said most of the member states favoured sending troops to Iraq, but they strongly feel that there should be a proper UN mandate in this regard.
Pakistan, he said, shared the same stand, adding that it was looking at the new US-backed resolution and continued to monitor developments in this regard.
Expressing the hope for a decision at the United Nations, he said it would enable Muslim countries to send their troops to Iraq.
He said Pakistan believed that the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of the people of Iraq should be respected.—APP
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