Divisiveness affects OIC’s performance, says Madani

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Thursday 21 Jan 2016 - 20:11 Makkah mean time-11-4-1437 Jeddah (IINA) - Iyad Madani, secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has stated that divisiveness and protracted differences among Muslim countries negatively impacted the performance of the pan Islamic body. Addressing the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC at its headquarters in Jeddah on Thursday afternoon, Madani said that this negative impact dents OIC’s credibility and puts its role for questioning. Ministers and senior officials from 37 member countries of the 57-member OIC is attending the meeting, which is being convened following a request from Saudi Arabia to discuss the repercussions of the attacks on its embassy and consulate in Iran. The OIC chief said that the strained relations among some member states contribute to deepening the fractures in the Islamic body politic and consecrates political or sectarian polarization. This situation turns us from effectively addressing the true challenges that threaten the future of our member states and their peoples. “It is sorrowful to note that divisiveness and protracted differences among Muslim countries negatively impact the OIC performance and undermine its ability to live up to its mission to respond to the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of our member states. It also dents its credibility before the Islamic and international public opinions, and puts its role and standing up for questioning,” he said. Madani said that the unfortunate events against Saudi diplomatic missions evidently breach diplomatic norms and practices as enshrined in the Vienna conventions and in relevant international and UN covenants. “Likewise, interference in the internal affairs of any member state constitutes a contravention of the provisions of the OIC Charter whose articles and stipulations we have consensually adhered to. The Charter explicitly provides for “strictly adhering to the principle of non-interference in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State” as well as the respect for the sovereignty, independence and unity of each member state,” he said. Recalling the recent terror attacks that struck some member states and continuing Israeli aggression against Palestinians, Madani said that these necessitate closer coordination and cooperation within a collective Islamic approach, in addition to resolute action driven by a collective resolve. “It is only by so doing that we could defuse tensions by building bridges of understanding and restoring mutual trust among the member states.” First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah presided over the meeting. He underlined the need for holding fast to the values of Islam to confront the challenges facing the Islamic Ummah. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir was among the speakers at the session. Al-Jubeir blamed Iran for interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and triggering sectarian strife in the region. Earlier on the day, the Council of Senior Officials of OIC met to prepare the agenda of the foreign ministers’ meeting. The meeting was chaired by Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Nasser Al-Muzayan. HA/IINA