President Mamnoon Hussain to Attend OIC Summit on Palestine in Jakarta

Jakarta, 26 Jumadil Awwal 1437/06 March 2016 (MINA) – President Mamnoon Hussain is set to arrive in the Indonesian capital today (Sunday) to participate in the 5th Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on Palestine and Al-Quds on March 6-7.

The summit titled “United for Just Solution” comes in the backdrop of Israeli violations in the occupied city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting dailytime.com.

Pakistan Ambassador to Indonesia Aqil Nadeem said on Saturday that President Mamnoon Hussain would represent Pakistan at the OIC summit, which he said denoted Pakistan’s commitment to the Palestine cause.

He said that Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid would participate in the ministerial level meeting of the OIC, the outcome which would be forwarded to the leaders of the OIC member states on March 7.

The president said the summit was significant in making the world realise that Muslim counties were interested in finding a genuine and sustainable solution to the Palestine issue.

Nadeem expressed the confidence that the Jakarta Declaration, to be issued at the conclusion of the summit, would prove a milestone in the independence of Palestine.

The two-day summit to be launched with a preparatory meeting of senior officials on March 6 will be followed by a meeting of foreign ministers.

According to the Indonesian government, the representatives of 49 out of 56 OIC countries had confirmed their participation in the two-day event.

The summit is aimed at addressing the developments in Al- Quds and the scheme by Israel to change the demographic reality of the city and erase its Islamic and Arab identity by building and expanding settlements.

A statement by the OIC said the summit will also discuss a whole range of developments in the Palestinian territory, particularly settlement expansion, which shows that the number of settlers on the occupied Palestinian land have exceeded 700,000 as of 2015.

Among the urgent issues that will be addressed at the summit are the international support to the negotiations that emphasise the legitimate Palestinian rights and a timetable to end the occupation. The summit will also support efforts for a Palestinian national unity government. (R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)