OIC s Istanbul summit concludes, issues Final Communique

The 13th Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Istanbul concluded on Friday with the adoption of a joint resolution on Palestine, the organization’s 2016-2025 action plan and an ‘Istanbul Declaration’. 

The summit hoped to increase unity and solidarity between Muslim countries in the fight against terrorism. 
During the high-level meeting, Muslim leaders discussed the situation in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Iraq, and Azerbaijan.

The Summit Conference was chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey. The Conference emphasized the centrality of the cause of Palestine and Al Quds Sharif for the Muslim Ummah. 

It reaffirmed its principled support for the right of the Palestinian people to regain their inalienable national rights, including the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the territory occupied since June 1967, with Al Quds Sharif as its capital. 

It also reaffirmed the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in accordance with International Law and Resolution 194 (III) adopted by the UN General Assembly on 11/12/ 1948. 

The Conference stressed the need for the early convening of an International Peace Conference to set mechanisms to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem, in implementation of the relevant UN Resolutions and the Arab peace initiative. 

The Conference called for continued action to seek the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an end to the Israeli occupation within a timetable for its implementation, and reaffirmed the full support for the efforts of the State of Palestine to accede to international treaties and organizations with a view to consolidating the legal personality of the State of Palestine at the international level. 

The Conference also underlined the need for the Ministerial Contact Group on Al Quds Al Sharif, under the chairmanship of the Kingdom of Morocco whose monarch chairs the Al- Quds Committee to continue its efforts and actions to contact influential international parties and to deliver the OIC message and demands regarding the city of al-Quds alSharif. 

The conference reiterated the adoption of the Strategic Plan on the Development of al-Quds al-Sharif, and called on all Member States to provide financial resources necessary for its implementation. 

The Conference commended the Republic of Indonesia for hosting the Extraordinary Summit on Palestine in Jakarta on 6-7 March 2016.

Source: QNA