Kampala Declaration

KAMPALA DECLARATION ADOPTED BY THE SIXTH SESSION OF THE PUIC CONFERENCE KAMPALA – REPUBLIC OF UGANDA 30 – 31 JANUARY, 2010

We the Speakers and Members of Delegation of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States, participating in the proceedings of the 6th Session of the PUIC Conference  held in Kampala, Republic of Uganda, on 14 – 15 Safar, 1431H, corresponding to 30 – 31 January, 2010. And having discussed the developments and challenges which face the Islamic World as included in the Agenda of the Session;

First: THE PALESTINIAN ISSUE
-     Affirm that the Palestinian issue, considered as the core of the conflict in the Middle East, must remain as the primary cause on which the Member States ought to take a unified Islamic position in international fora until the realization of the legitimate and inalienable rights of the Palestinian people envisaged by the establishment of the independent Palestinian state, on the soil of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
-     Denounce the massacres which have been committed – and continue to be committed – by the Israeli occupation authorities in Palestine, in particular in the Gaza Strip, which victimized thousands of martyrs and wounded persons among innocent people; welcome the Goldstone Report on violation of human rights of Palestinians in Gaza; demand punishment of Israeli officials who are responsible for the war crimes which they committed in Gaza Strip; decry the continuous practices aimed at isolating and laying siege to the Palestinian people, and the Israeli repressive measures based on assassination, detention, demolition of houses, bulldozing of lands, establishing settlements and building the racist separation wall and setting up check-points between the towns and villages of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which confirm that the siege and starving of the Palestinian people constitute a methodical process pursued by the Israeli authorities in order to empty the Palestinian territories and disperse their inhabitants; call for large-scale actions to put an end to the siege and open the crossings; also request for quick action for reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and removal of traces of the Israeli savage aggression. Dedicate the 18th of January as the International Day for Solidarity with Palestinian People in Gaza.
-     Stress the necessity of supporting the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their heroic resistance and their resolve to confront the Israeli aggression in order to recover all their occupied territory, and thwart the idea of an alternative homeland. The latter does not only constitute a blatant aggression on the right of the Palestinian people to their homeland, Palestine, but is also a flagrant breach of the principle of the sovereignty of the States in the region. Call upon all the Palestinian factions to put an end to the state of schism and to achieve national reconciliation, unity of ranks and position so as to be able to achieve national objectives, including the right of return to all Palestinians.

-     Strongly denounce the continuation of excavation and demolition works carried out by the Israeli occupation forces near the Al Aqsa Mosque as a blatant infringement of the Islamic sanctities and the status of Al Quds Al Sharif; call on the UN and the international community to shoulder their total legal and moral obligations and exercise all forms of pressure on Israel to put an end to its illegal actions; and declare its rejection of all Israeli measures aimed at altering the Arab and Islamic identity of Al-Quds in preparation for its judaization. Announce the constitution of a standing Parliamentary Committee dedicated to the issue of Al-Qods and meant to find the best ways to counter the Israeli plans to judaize the city, in coordination with the OIC Al-Qods Committee.
 
-     Strongly condemn Israel’s expansionist settlement policy and stress the necessity of halting all acts of settlement as well as legislative and administrative measures and practices aimed at altering the legal status of Al Quds and its demographic structure in contravention of the principles of international law and resolutions of the international legitimacy; request the UN Security Council to act expeditiously to dismantle the Israeli settlements according to its resolution No. (465); to emphasize the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their lands from which they have been dispersed.
 
-     Hail the steadfastness of Dr. Aziz Al Duwaik, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council during his imprisonment and congratulate him on the end of his incarceration; demand the expeditious release of all the Palestinians detained in Israeli jails who number 11000 detainees, including Palestinian Parliamentarians, which constitutes a blatant violation of all international instruments and norms; request the UN and the IPU to take decisive measures and put pressure on Israel to release them.
 
-       Call on the Quartet and the international community to take action and stop the building of settlements, and seriously endeavour to put an end to the Israeli occupation of all the occupied Arab territories. It reiterate its support to all political and media initiatives aimed at supporting the Palestinian cause, in and outside the Member States
 
Second: IRAQ
 
-     Invite all Member States to support efforts of the Iraqi government to restore security and stability in all parts of Iraq, achieve national reconciliation, and restoration of Iraq’s entire sovereignty; welcome the decision of a number of governments of the States of Member Parliaments to resume the functioning of their diplomatic missions in Iraq and invited the other States to open or reopen their embassies and diplomatic missions in Baghdad.
 
-       Also call for the support of the efforts of our brothers in Iraq to dedicate their capacities for reconstruction, economic re-energisation and the preservation of their resources.
 
Third: LEBANON
 
-     Affirm Lebanon’s legitimate right to resistance for the completion of the liberation of the occupied Lebanese territories.
 
   Express satisfaction with the success of elections which reflected the will of the Lebanese people in transparency and fairness, and resulted in the formation of a government of national conciliation.
 
-     Call upon the Islamic countries to shoulder their responsibility in reconstructing Lebanon and building up the damage caused by the ferocious Israeli war on Lebanon.
 
-    Laud the positive development of the brotherly relations between Lebanon and Syria.
 
Fourth: SYRIA
 
-     Confirm supporting to right of Syria to restore the occupied Arab Syrian Golan; and commend the steadfastness of the Syrian citizens in the Golan and their attachment to their land as well as their Syrian Arab identity; and stress that Israel’s decisions to impose its laws and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan are null and in contradiction with international laws.
 
Fifth: THE SUDAN
 
-     Affirm on support to preservation of national unity in the Sudan; express satisfaction with the continuation of the peace process through the implementation of the comprehensive peace agreements in the country; and commend the success of the operations of voluntary return of refugees to the towns and villages of Darfur.
-     Call on the armed movements in Darfur which have not yet joined the Abuja Agreement to renounce military escalation and urgently join the peace process and the on-going negotiations for peace in Darfur. Highly praise the role played by the sisterly State of Qatar in hosting the negotiations
-     Commend the Sudanese government’s adoption of the policy of dialogue and negotiations with the armed groups and supports its relentless endeavor to achieve peace and national reconciliation.
-     Request the Islamic States to boost their financial, developmental and technical assistance to address the roots of the problem; call for encouraging Islamic voluntary work organizations to be the appropriate substitutes of some Western voluntary work organizations which utilize the state of poverty to commit some inhuman actions.
 
-     Reject imposing any sort of sanctions on Sudan and interference in its internal affairs under any pretext in respect of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in its domestic affairs.
 
-     Reject also the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) of 4th March 2009 on an arrest warrant against H.E. President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir and called for rescinding this decision conclusively.
 
Sixth: Situation in Yemen
 
-       Reiterate its full and firm support of the Republic of Yemen, the integrity of its territory and unity of its people and declared its support of all the decisions taken by the Republic of Yemen to reinforce its stability and the establishment of peace; and condemn any interference likely to jeopardize the unity of Yemen and destabilize it.
 
Seventh: SOMALIA
 
-     Welcome the success of the electoral process and call for the support of the legitimate government formed by the elected President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed so as to enable it to restore security and stability in the country.
 
-     Invite Somali opposition, willing to negotiate with the legitimate government to engage in serious and fruitful dialogue in order to achieve comprehensive national reconciliation which is considered an essential step for the restoration of stability in the Horn of Africa.
 
-     Express its fears over the deterioration of the security and humanitarian conditions as well as continuation of the conflict between the legitimate government and the opposition in Somalia in such a way as to threaten the unity and stress its commitment to the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Somalia.
 
-     Call for immediate cessation of acts of piracy which are endangering security, peace and freedom of international shipping and appeal to the Islamic States to help Somalia in confronting this phenomenon.
 
-     Also call for extending material and moral support to the Somali people in the fields of the infrastructure and building, together with the importance of teaching and propagating moderate Islamic values and ideas in Somalia.
 
Eighth: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology
 
-     Affirm the right of all countries to the peaceful use of atomic energy, including its nuclear fuel cycle policy, in accordance with the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and express its concern about the constraints imposed by some countries on international cooperation in the field of research and the transfer of equipments, materials and technology for the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy, such constraints contradict Article Four of the NPT, and denounce the escalation of pressures and threats, whatever their source, to deprive these countries of their legal right and stress the necessity of settling conflicts through peaceful, diplomatic means.
 
Ninth: MAKING the Middle East A ZONE FREE of Weapons of Mass Destruction
 
-     Affirm theinalienable right of all States to develop energy and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, and encourage cooperation among Member States in this field, taking into account the provisions of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty and the IAEA Safeguards System. Also affirm the imperative of compelling Israel to open its nuclear facilities and programmes according to the rules of the IAEA, as well as the necessity for Israel to join the NPT and make the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, as this is considered essential to security and stability in the Middle East and enables avoidance of double standards in international interaction.
 
Tenth: CYPRUS
-     Call on the Member States to support effective solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot State and maintain close links with it, aiming to help it overcome the inhuman isolation imposed on it, and consolidate and strengthen their relations with the Turkish Cypriot State in all fields; reconfirmed all previous OIC resolutions on Cyprus issue as well as the PUIC resolutions.
-     Welcome the willingness shown by the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey to find a sustainable, political solution.
-     Call on Greece to respect the rights of the Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace and request Greece to take the necessary measures preventing the destruction of mosques and Muslim places of worship and cemeteries in the region.
 
Eleventh: AZERBAIJAN
 
-     Request the meticulous implementation of the resolution Nos. (822), (853), (874) and (884) adopted by the UN Security Council and the immediate, unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian forces from all the occupied Azerbaijani territories; strongly urge Armenia to respect the sovereignty of the Azerbaijan Republic and its territorial integrity.
 
-     Condemn the savage aggression on the mosques and sacred Muslim shrines which resulted in severe damage to the Islamic archeological and cultural heritage of the Azeri territories.
 
-     Confirm again its full solidarity and support of the efforts exerted by the government and people of Azerbaijan in defense of their land; and urge all states to extend humanitarian assistance to Azeri refugees and displaced who face harsh living conditions to pave the way for their return to their homes from which they have been dispersed.
 
Twelfth: Cooperation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference
 
-     Affirm the necessity to establish joint cooperation and coordination between the Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference aiming at complementing the efforts and achieve effective cooperation between both parts, thus fulfilling the objectives and aspirations of the Islamic Ummah.
 
Thirteenth: TERRORISM
 
-     Condemn the phenomenon of terrorism and denounce all attempts to finance and support it.
 
-     Stress the inevitability of the separation between all forms and manifestations of terrorism and the right of states and peoples to legitimate resistance and armed struggle against the occupier and colonist in order to liberate their homeland and recover their legitimate rights guaranteed by the UN Charter and all the international agreements and conventions, considered as an inherent right of peoples under occupation; call for convening an international conference to define the concept of terrorism and draw up a code of conduct between states and calls for establishing an international centre to combat terrorism. It support the call made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to establish an international centre dedicated to combating terrorism.
 
-     Stress also that terrorism is in conflict with all the teachings of Islam which call for tolerance and mercy and rejects violence and ban all forms of aggression, especially murder irrespective of color, religion and race; and rejected all politically motivate attempts to unjustly establish a link between Islam or any Muslim Country and terrorism.
 
Fourteenth: DIALOGUE OF CIVILIZATIONS
 
-          State that the points of departure for dialogue in the Islamic vision are mutual respect, equity, justice, renunciation of bias, violence and hatred, because this vision assumes the existence of common denominators that constitute a general framework and solid ground for dialogue. .
-          Reconfirm that religious dialogue is not a human invention but indeed a divine order and a sacred law. The three divine religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism enjoin their adherents to uphold the right path, and apply reason and wisdom. Dialogue is also the sole path of our world to live in love, security and peace.
-          Reaffirm the importance of reinforcing dialogue between the different Islamic sects and schools of thought with a view to strengthening the unity of positions and instilling the spirit of cooperation between the sons of the Islamic Ummah.
 
-          Request the United Nations to expeditiously adopt an international resolution and enact legislations that criminalize insulting the three divine religions and religious sanctities, in such a way as to ensure a balance between the freedom of opinion and expression, and the inviolability of religions and beliefs of others and not to discriminate against certain minorities or categories of people.
 
-          Also call fordissemination of the culture of moderation, tolerance, dialogue and openness; reject all forms of terrorism, extremism and Islamophobia, and warn against utilizing pluralism, doctrinism and sectarianism for political purposes aimed at partitioning the Islamic Ummah and dividing its States and peoples.
 
-          Welcome the organization of conferences on the dialogue between civilizations and cultures in a number of Islamic Sates,
 
-     Call for constituting a focal point for dialogue at the PUIC and the Parliaments of Member States aimed at offering appropriate initiatives in coordination with the Organization of the Islamic Conference for the sake of developing the culture of dialogue.
 
-     Commend the spirit of tolerance prevailing among the Ugandan people in spite of adhering to different religions which prove the possibility of brotherly coexistence among the followers of various divine creeds.
 
-          Confirm the rights of Muslim Communities in non-Muslim states, especially in European countries, to live in peace and without oppression, considering that tolerance among adherents of different religions and faiths constitutes a safety valve for all societies.
 
-     Consider that the controversial Swiss referendum on basic human rights to ban the building of mosque minarets diminishes the freedom of exercising religious rites.
 
-          Confirm the necessity of supporting the OIC resolution and that of the PUIC on the Islamic Court of Justice due to the desired role of this court in resolving differences among Muslim countries.
 
Fifteenth: ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ASPECTS
 
-          Call upon Islamic governments to increase their urgent financial and in-kind assistance to African states, especially those South of the Sahara, to fight desertification, poverty, drought and famine, as well as to consider writing off or alleviating their debts.
 
-          Call upon the Member States to support and energize joint Islamic economic integration, posses’ state-of-the-art technology, and develop interest in scientific research being a developmental fate-determining necessity.
 
-          Underpin the pivotal role of Islamic Parliaments in formulating economic and social policies and legislations as well as their political role in crystallizing respective visions of states in the face of globalization developments and challenges.
 
-          Express our concern about the long-term negative effects of the current economic and financial crisis on the economic growth of Member States as well as on their national development plans and balances of payments, and ability to secure general and private international financing, and on direct foreign investment.
 
-          Stress the necessity for the Islamic World to enjoy appropriate representation in all deliberations on the impacts of the global financial crisis, and the need for widening the structures of economic decision-making, such as the G-20, to render it more balanced and responsive to the demands of developing states and Islamic countries in particular.
 
-          Underscore the necessity of promoting education and scientific research and their curricula in the Islamic world, thus deepening common Islamic identification, responding to exigencies of development, modernization and overall development, entrenching values of dialogue, creativity and innovation, and enhancing principles of consultation, democracy, human rights and effective positive participation of women in various facets of life, while confirming the right of Muslim women to wear the veil (Hijab), whether in Muslim or other countries, as this right is part of her civil rights, which have been approved by international charters and conventions.
 
-          Request the governments and PUIC Member Parliaments to enact legislations banning actions that harm Man and the environment, and encouraging reduction of CO2 gas emissions, call on industrial States that cause most of the CO2 gas emissions which have been mentioned by name in the recently held Copenhagen Conference to act to reduce these gas emissions in their countries.
 
Sixteenth: SOLIDARITY POSITIONS
 
-     Express solidarity with the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the brutal and condemned actions committed against Muslim citizens in that country, and called on all the PUIC Member States as well as all Muslims of the world to support their Muslim brethren in Nigeria.
 
-     Express also solidarity with the Republic of Guinea for the inhuman crimes perpetrated against the people of Guinea where several children, women and other innocent Guineans have been victimized. Appeal to all Muslims to extend a helping hand to their brothers in Guinea in order to alleviate their pains and heal their wounds.
 
-     Express its profound sympathy with the people of Haiti for the horrifying disaster which afflicted them as a result of the devastating earthquake, and request the governments of the States of the Member Parliaments to extend all possible help in terms of humanitarian assistance to cope with this disaster.