Over 45 Muslim countries at meeting organized by worlds largest Muslim organization condemn Iran for Saudi Embassy attack and for supporting terrorism. Saudi Embassy condemns Iran accusing it of violating the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
The Organiation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the worlds second largest inter-governmental organization after the U.N. held an Extraordinary Meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers to discuss the recent attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran. The meeting took place yesterday on January 21 at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Iran was roundly criticized.
In attendance were Foreign Ministers and representatives of almost 50 of the OICs 56 member states, including the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir and the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
Kuwaits Foreign Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister – Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, chaired the close door meeting.
Also in attendance were the Foreign Ministers of Turkey (Mevlut Cavusoglu), Qatar (Khalid bin Mohammed Attiyah), Oman (Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah), Indonesia (Retno Maraud) and the UAE (Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan), amongst others.
In the final communiqué of the meeting, the Ministers condemned the aggressions against the missions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and Mashhad, which constitute a flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961. It went on to say these aggressions contravene the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Charter of the United Nations.
The communiqué also denounced Iran’s continued support for terrorism and need for stressed the need for non-interference in the internal affairs of Member States, particularly those affairs that are within internal legislation as per the United Nations Charter and the OIC Charter.
It denounced the sectarian and denominational agenda as it carries destructive impacts and serious repercussions for Member States security and stability and for international peace and security.
The communique also underscored the importance of reinforcing relations of good neighborliness among the Member States.
The OIC statement was not endorsed by Iran or Lebanon.
OIC Secretary-General Iyad Madani said that the strained relations among some of the OICs member states were deepening the fractures within the Islamic world and promoting political and sectarian polarization.
Warning against exacerbating these tensions, he said this situation turns us away from effectively addressing the true challenges that threaten the future of our member states and their peoples.
Other Member States present included Bahrains Sheikh Khalid Al-Khalifa, Pakistans Sartaj Aziz, Malaysias Anifah Aman, Moroccos Mbarka Bouaida, Bangladeshs Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Dunya Maumoon of Maldives amongst others.
Here’s the press release put out by the Saudi Arabian Embassy:
At an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held today in Jeddah, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir said attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad showcase Iran’s aggressive policies and continued incitement of sectarianism in the region.
“Iran is a member state which does not respect the Charter of our organization and its principles derived from our Islamic religion,” said Minister Al-Jubeir.
Minister Al-Jubeir said the attacks were widely condemned by countries around the world, as well as regional and international organizations, including the UN Security Council, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and theArab League.
“It is important to note that attacks on the Kingdom’s diplomatic mission comes within the framework of the aggressive policies of the government of Iran and its continued interference in the internal affairs of the countries of the region,” said Minister Al-Jubeir. He added that Iran seeks to spread sedition, unrest and chaos as well as incite sectarian strife in the region, stressing that Iran is the main reason of instability and wars in the region.
Minister Al-Jubeir concluded that the Kingdom has always called for building better relations with Iran based on the principals of good neighborliness, mutual respect and non-interference in the countries’ affairs. He concluded that instead, Iran responds with statements that run contrary to its real actions on the ground.
In a communique issued following the meeting, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC condemned the Iranian aggressions against Saudi Arabia, and affirmed that these aggressions counter the OIC and the Charter of the United Nations, which call for promoting trust and fostering friendly relations and mutual respect among member states.
The Council also denounced Iran’s interference in the internal affairs of the region and other OIC member states, including Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and Somalia, and its continued support for terrorism.
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Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992 at the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. He began writing in 1975 publishing The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues as Special US Correspondent for the Arab News ArabNews.com, at TheArabDailyNews.com, and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday, the Orlando Sentinel, Houston Chronical, and Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
Hanania is the US Special Correspondent for the Arab News Newspaper, covering Middle East and Arab American issues. He writes for the Southwest News newspaper group writing on mainstream American issues.
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