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RI puts Palestine at top of OIC agenda

Undertaking its commitment to seek a peaceful solution to the Palestinian conflict, Indonesia is set to host the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, with Palestine at the top of the agenda

Ina Parlina and Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, February 6, 2016

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RI puts Palestine at top of OIC agenda

U

ndertaking its commitment to seek a peaceful solution to the Palestinian conflict, Indonesia is set to host the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, with Palestine at the top of the agenda.

The world'€™s most populous Muslim-majority country has been chosen as the host for the extraordinary summit to rally support from the entire OIC community for resolving the Palestinian issue.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo called on the country to take the summit as an opportunity to show the world that Islam in Indonesia '€œis tolerant and rahmatan lil alamin [a blessing for the universe]'€.

His statement implied the need for this majority-Muslim nation to actively take part in creating a world order based on freedom, everlasting peace and social justice, as written in the Constitution.

During his presidential campaign, Jokowi made support for Palestinians a cornerstone of his foreign policy, promising that Indonesia would set up an embassy in Ramallah as a show of support for the Palestinian cause.

Palestine is meanwhile a main concern of the OIC, which is determined to find an effective solution to decades of conflict. The OIC, which comprises 57 states, attempts to mobilize global support for the people of Palestine.

Attention to the occupation of Palestine has of late been distracted by other global problems, such as the Syrian civil war.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi underlined that the aim of the conference was to gather support from the entire OIC community to develop efforts to resolve the Palestinian conflict and create a breakthrough in the Middle Eastern political landscape.

Retno said that Indonesia sought several specific outcomes from the conference, including a collective political statement and action-oriented follow-up steps such as planned tripartite meetings.

'€œThis conference is particularly important, considering how ongoing talks since [last] May have yet to alleviate the situation in al-Quds,'€ Retno said after the meeting on Wednesday.

According to Retno, there are concerns that the Palestinian issue will be swept under the rug in subsequent meetings among the Islamic community, which is why Indonesia was appointed to host the upcoming conference.

'€œWe hope this conference will be able to strengthen the OIC'€™s commitment to supporting the Palestinian agenda,'€ she said. '€œWe also need an action-oriented declaration to ensure that [any] political support produced by the summit can be followed up.'€

The Palestinian conflict covers the issue of nationhood and the plight of five million refugees scattered across the Middle East and living in dire conditions. The situation is getting worse, as they are increasingly trapped in other wars, particularly since the Syrian war broke out.

By hosting an international forum, Jokowi also wanted the world to see Indonesia as a safe country, following a recent bombing and shooting attack in the capital.

Security is critical, as leaders of the 56 OIC member countries and their entourages, as well as four observers and representatives from Russia, the US, the EU and the UN, are expected to attend the summit, which is set to be held in Jakarta on March 6 and 7.

State Secretary Pratikno urged the nation'€™s people and the Jakarta administration to support the central government in organizing the summit, while Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said the government was not expecting any security disruptions during the summit.

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