The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hussein Ibrahim Taha, said that the Jeddah Summit is taking place in a delicate circumstance in which the Arab and Islamic world faces challenges that require strengthening cooperation and solidarity and intensifying efforts and coordination.
In his statement in the thirty-second session of the Council of the League of Arab States (LAS), hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, he indicated that the Palestinian issue is central to the Arab and Islamic world. This issue witnesses the continued blockage of a political solution. It also saw the escalation of brutal Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people, their land and sanctities, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque. These threats lead to dire repercussions that would further deteriorate the situation, which requires unifying positions and strengthening efforts on the international scene to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and establish their independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital in implementation of the resolutions of international legitimacy and the Arab peace initiative.
Regarding the Sudan crisis, Taha welcomed the joint Saudi-American initiative to start preliminary talks between representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in Jeddah. He also welcomed the signing of the Jeddah Declaration regarding the commitment to protecting civilians in Sudan, appealing to the Sudanese brothers once again to work to give priority to Sudan’s supreme national interest to preserve its unity and institutions and achieve the aspirations of its people for security, peace, political stability, and economic development.
Taha affirmed the OIC’s keenness to support all efforts to remove tension causes, overcome past obstacles, and achieve peace, security, and stability in Yemen, Libya, and Syria. He called for strengthening solidarity with Somali brothers to help them overcome the difficulties. He also called for strengthening the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation among all the countries in the Arab region.
Taha added: “We look forward to intensifying coordination between OIC and LAS to solve common issues and strengthen cooperation in the economic, scientific, cultural, and humanitarian fields, empowering women and youth, combating terrorism and extremism, confronting hate speech and Islamophobia, and consolidating the values of tolerance, understanding, and peaceful coexistence. We also look forward to strengthening solidarity with the countries of the Sahel region and the Lake Chad basin, which share close historical and geographical ties with the Arab world, to help them overcome security and development challenges.” The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s presidency of LAS coincided with its presidency of the 14th Islamic Summit, which would give a new impetus to cooperation between the two groups, coordinate efforts to address common issues and contribute together to finding appropriate solutions to international challenges within the framework of multilateral action.
Source: Saudi Press Agency