FOREIGN MINISTERS TO DISCUSS FUTURE OIC PEACEKEEPING ROLE IN MUSLIM WORLD

By Muin Abdul Majid

DAMASCUS, May 21 (Bernama) -- Foreign ministers from Muslim countries
meeting here beginning Saturday are slated to examine a conceptual paper on the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference's (OIC) future role in maintaining peace,
security and resolving conflicts in member states.

The paper sets out from the premise that the Muslim world needs to have
peacekeeping troops as myriad conflicts are waged within Muslim territories, not
to mention that OIC members provide the largest contribution to United Nations
(UN) peacekeeping forces, according to an OIC statement.

Damascus is hosting the 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers
(CFM) of the Member States of the OIC from May 23 to 25, under the theme
"Promoting Islamic Solidarity".

Malaysia will be represented at the gathering by Foreign Minister Anifah
Aman.

The statement said the CFM would discuss a host of political issues, notably
the Arab-Israeli conflict, with developments in the holy city of Al-Quds and
Israel's relentless aggression against Palestinians topping the meeting's
agenda.

It will also dwell on the Mideast peace process and the current situation in
the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as well as the continuing Israeli occupation
of Lebanese territory.

The ministers representing OIC's 57 members will also explore other major
political issues, such as the situation in Iraq, and developments in Somalia in
the wake of worsening security conditions and the recent outbreak of deadly
clashes on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

"The unraveling developments in Sudan will also figure high on the meeting's
work agenda," the statement said, adding that the foreign ministers were
expected to put up a unified front vis-a-vis the International Criminal Court's
move to indict Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir over his alleged
involvement in Darfur war crimes.

Combating Islamophobia and the fight against the defamation of Islam will
also be on the cards at the Damascus meeting.

The OIC Islamophobia Observatory will publish on the occasion its second
annual report that is expected to highlight abuses perpetrated against Muslims
and Islam, and feature the reality of the phenomenon of Islamophobia across the
world.

The statement mentioned that other issues to come under the spotlight would
include those of Muslim communities and minorities in non-OIC countries, such as
Muslims in the Philippines, Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace in Greece
and Muslim groups in Myanmar as well as southern Thailand.

The CFM meeting will broach additional political dossiers, particularly the
reform of the UN and the expansion of the UN Security Council membership
platform.

The statement disclosed that the participating foreign ministers would
examine at length the issue of creating an independent and permanent human
rights commission.

In addition, they are expected to look into economic endeavours associated
with the implementation of the OIC Ten-Year Programme of Action as well as
issues of healthcare, higher education, environment in the Muslim world and the
media.

"The ministers will also discuss the details of celebrations marking the
40th anniversary of the establishment of OIC that will run throughout 2009," the
statement added.

OIC secretary-general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is scheduled to deliver
a speech at the CFM opening session, detailing OIC activities since the 35th CFM
Session held in Kampala, Uganda.
-- BERNAMA