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Spokesperson Briefings

Date: 14/05/2007

Transcript of Press Briefing on May 14, 2007.

Opening Statement:

34 th Session of Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) will be held in Islamabad on May 15-17 2007 . The theme of the Conference is Peace, Progress and Harmony. It will be chaired by Foreign Minister, Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. Delegations from 57 Member States of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) are expected to participate in the Conference at the Jinnah Convention Center in Islamabad . Extensive arrangements have been made in the Federal Capital for reception, accommodation and transportation of over six hundred delegates from Member States , observer States and organization and other subsidiary and specialized organs of the OIC who have started reaching Islamabad for the Conference.

Pakistan assumes the Chairmanship of ICFM at a critical juncture for the Ummah. The Foreign Ministers are expected to consider and adopt resolutions on a whole range of political, economic, social and cultural matters confronting the Muslim World.

For the first time in the history of ICFM, an interactive Ministerial Brainstorming Session will be held on the opening day of the 34 th Session. The theme for the interactive Ministerial Session will be “Countering Discrimination and Intolerance against Muslims and Defamation of Islam”. During the Interactive Brainstorming Session, Ministers would provide useful guidance for OIC to engage constructively in the ongoing multilateral discourse on the need for dialogue among civilizations.

ICFM is the most important event in the annual calendar of OIC since the gathering of Foreign Ministers of the Member States not only helps review the implementation of decisions taken at the Islamic Summit, which is held once in three years, but also affords the opportunity to provide direction to the Organization on existing and emerging challenges faced by the Ummah. The outcome documents to be issued at the end of the 34 th Session Will include the Resolutions and Decisions of the Conference, a Final Communiqué' and the Islamabad Declaration.

A number of important meetings will be held on the sidelines of the ICFM including that of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir , at the Ministerial level. Over the last four decades, OIC has maintained unstinted support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their longstanding and just struggle to realize their right to self-determination. The Contact Group mechanism and appointment of OIC Secretary General's Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir have been helpful to efforts aimed at peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan has always been an active member of OIC with an abiding commitment to the principles and objectives of the Organization.

Question/Answers Session:

Asked whether Pakistan had committed a blunder of supporting the Afghan puppet government, the Spokesperson said:

We have centuries old ties with the people of Afghanistan . We supported the Bonn process. We maintain that support and want to see peace and stability in Afghanistan . We urge the international community to help Afghanistan in reconstruction and development.

Asked if the revitalization of the OIC would be discussed in the 34 th meeting of the foreign ministers of Islamic countries, the Spokesperson said:

Yes, as you know the charter of the Organization has been under discussion. There is generally consensus among the member states that OIC needs to be revitalized and restructured to be able to effectively represent the Muslim Ummah . There have been a number of initiatives. There is a group of experts which is at the moment deliberating the changes in the Charter.

When asked about ineffectiveness of the OIC, continued squabbles amongst the member States and the non-binding of OIC resolutions, the Spokesperson said:

We realize that the OIC has its shortcomings and may not always come up to the expectations of the people in the Muslim world. But I do not agree that the OIC has nothing to offer, and I certainly do not agree that the member countries are at loggerheads with each other. On the issues of fundamental importance, the OIC speaks with one voice. Even if the resolutions are not binding they give a unanimous message from the Muslim world. They have a moral authority. Pakistan believes that the Islamic world which comprises one fifth of the humanity, must play a strong role in effectively addressing the multifaceted challenges facing the Muslim Ummah. OIC, being the only representative organization of the Muslims around the world, should be strengthened to play that role effectively and it should be enabled to just the Muslim causes and it should play its role in conflict prevention, socio economic and technological development of the Muslim world. The theme of this Session is peace, progress and the harmony. These are important issues for the Muslim countries and we are confident that it would be a successful conference.

Asked to brief the measures adopted by Pakistan for the repatriation of the Afghan refugees, the Spokesperson said:

Pakistan , Afghanistan and the UNHCR are working on a coordinated strategy to repatriate the Afghan refugees by 2009. And in order to ensure the return of Afghan refugees, some incentives are needed on the part of Afghanistan such as shelter and livelihood. We believe on one likes to live as a refugee. However, there are some pre requisites for settlement of these people in Afghanistan such as providing them stable conditions, providing them livelihoods and providing them some means to start a new life in Afghanistan . Pakistan has insisted on providing the refugees $100 each in addition to shelter. Pakistan was the first to contribute $5 million to this fund. We have also offered to provide tents for these refugees in Afghanistan .

Asked why the government was allowing a strong lobby in Pakistan to prevail upon the government to allow import of cotton from India , especially since Islamabad had set conditions for free trade with New Delhi , the Spokesperson said:

We have never said we do not have trade relations with India . It should, therefore, not be surprised if we are importing from and exporting to India . What we have said is that free trade hinges on a number of factors which would need to be addressed including the public opinion in Pakistan .

When asked whether the Pak-Afghan conflict would be discussed in the ICFM meeting, the Spokesperson said:

Pakistan and Afghanistan do not have any conflict. We are confronting a problem which concerns both countries. We have multiple mechanisms to coordinate our activities in that context. If there are some irritants, again there are multiple bilateral forums where these irritants can be addressed. OIC considers a number of issues that confront the Muslims, Palestine issue is on the top of the agenda. There are other issues, issues of development, issue of Kashmir, Syrian territory, the situation in Iraq , countering discrimination and intolerance against Muslims and defamation of Islam and other challenges confronting the Muslim world. These are the issues this conference would be discussing.

Asked to comment on the statement of an Afghan member of parliament who claimed that Pakistan and Iran were responsible for the sacking of Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, the Spokesperson said:

It is an internal development. I would not comment on it. However, the allegation is absolutely baseless.

Asked whether Siachen issue was missing in the next scheduled talks between Pakistan and India , the Spokesperson said:

Discussions on the Siachen issue at the fourth round of Composite Dialogue have already taken place. Fourth round has already started. We issued the press release giving the agreed schedule of the remaining meetings and some newspapers reported that the fourth round is about to start. That is factually incorrect. The Foreign Secretaries started it and a numbers of meetings have taken place.

Asked whether any observer state would attend the meeting, the Spokesperson said:

Yes, about five observer States are expected to attend the meeting. In addition, Muslim communities, International Organizations, and 23 Special invitees would be attending the meeting.

When asked whether the issue of new observers would be discussed in the session, the Spokesperson said:

OIC has an intergovernmental expert group to work out the criteria for observer status. And the group has had many meetings and it will continue its work at the moment, we do not have any recommendations from that group.