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OIC Summit aims to help Palestine
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Peaceful solutions – Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi speaks about the peaceful solutions needed to end the Israel-Palestine conflict at a press conference after meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Maliki at the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta in December 2015. In a summit scheduled for March 6-7 in Jakarta, member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will produce a Jakarta Declaration containing concrete steps to help Palestine. (thejakartapost.com/Wienda Parwitasari)
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n a summit scheduled for March 6-7 in Jakarta, member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) plan to produce a Jakarta Declaration containing concrete steps to help Palestine.
The 5th Extraordinary OIC Summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif will see the manifestation of two documents, namely a resolution containing a political call for Palestinian and OIC unity and a declaration regarding the concrete steps OIC member countries will take to help Palestine.
Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said Indonesia’s host role was based on a special request by Palestine and the OIC, signalling trust in the country’s commitment to solving Palestinian issues.
Retno explained that she was asked directly by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki in December to sound out the possibility of Indonesia hosting the extraordinary summit after Morocco had bowed out of its commitment.
She said Indonesia's willingness to host the summit was an illustration of its commitment to return the Palestinian issue back to the attention of the international community by picking up the pace of the peace process, which had recently stalled.
"This summit has been organized in response to concerns regarding the current conditions in Palestine, which have shown no improvement," Retno said during a discussion at the State Palace in Jakarta.
The minister further explained that 49 out of 56 OIC member countries, represented by their heads of state and or government and ministers, had confirmed their attendance at the two-day event.
Retno said the summit aimed to underline both the importance of an internal unity of factions within Palestine, namely Fatah and Hamas, and the need for unity among Islamic countries in supporting those factors required to achieve a peaceful resolution.
Six core issues of the conflict are scheduled to be discussed throughout the two-day summit including border issues, migrants, the status of Jerusalem, illegal settlements, security issues and access to clean water, the minister said.
The situation faced by Palestinians in East Jerusalem is alarming, Retno said, adding that only 36.8 of the population in the area are Palestinian and over 75 percent of these people were reported to be living below the poverty line. Only 64 percent of the people had access to clean water and 41 percent of the children had access to education, she further said, citing data the ministry had obtained without specifying its source.
On the first day of the summit, two events will be conducted: a senior official meeting (SOM) and a ministerial level meeting, which will be led by Retno. A high-level meeting will be held on the second day of the summit.
In a move to show a concrete of commitment to Palestine, Retno said that Indonesia was currently in the final process of setting up a representative office in Ramallah, scheduled for inauguration in mid-March.
The new diplomatic mission is in accordance with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s election campaign promise to make support for Palestinians a foreign policy priority. (ebf)
