INTRODUCTION
1- Upon the kind invitation of H.E. Mr. Pape Diop, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Senegal, the Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States held its Third Session in Dakar on 9-10 March 2004, under the high patronage of H.E. Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal and the participation of thirty-four Member Parliaments. (List of participants is in Annex No.1).
INAUGURAL SESSION:
H.E. the President of Senegal kindly honoured the inaugural session of the Conference. He was received by a committee of honour composed of His Excellency Mr. Abdouahed Al Radhi, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Morocco and President of the Second Session of the Conference, H.E. Mr. Pape Diop, Speaker of the National Assembly of Senegal, and H.E. Mr. Ibahim Auf, the Secretary General of the Union.
3- H.E. the President kindly greeted the Honourable heads of participating delegations and the guests of honour. Then His Excellency entered the Conference Hall and assumed the steering of the inaugural session which began its proceedings by listening to verses from the Holy Quran.
4- His Excellency gave the floor to the Honourable Mr. Abdoualhed Al-Radhi who delivered an exhaustive speech. He started by expressing thanks and greetings to His Excellency the Senegalese President, and Government, Parliament and the people of the Republic of Senegal. He stressed that the objective appraisal of our Parliamentary Union since the convening of its First Conference in Tehran, through the Second Conference in Rabat, to its current Third Session in Dakar proves that it is a crucial necessity for consolidating consultation at the level of the Islamic World, coordinating positions at international fora and seeking just solutions to the problems of our Islamic States. His Excellency added that since the convening of the Second Conference of the Union in Rabat, crucial developments have taken place in the aftermath of the 9/11/2001 events such as waging wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, threatening both Syria and Lebanon, and giving free reins to Israel to murder Palestinians; lay siege to President Arafat and his people; erect the racist separation wall on the occupied Palestinian territories; disregard all Arab initiatives and undermine all international plans to restore peace in the Middle East, the most recent of which is the Road Map. His Excellency stressed that the reform of the Islamic world can only be achieved through the will of the Islamic peoples and elimination of any programmes
imposed on it from outside. He added that the Islamic world is requested to consolidate the International Law instead of the law of force. His Excellency lauded the intensive activity of our Union, which has materialized in firmly establishing its structures and adopting political stances necessary for cooperation with international organizations. He called for consolidating parliamentary dialogue with Europe and the USA. He invited the Honourable Mr. Pape Diop to assume the Presidency of the Third Session of the Conference in his place.
5- H.E. the President of Senegal gave the floor to the Honourable Mr. Pape Diop who welcomed the participating delegations and stressed that we must accord the utmost importance to dialogue, especially, in the age of globalization. His Excellency invited the Conference to take unified positions on our Islamic causes, primarily the Palestinian cause and the western allegations that seek to establish a link between Islam and terrorism. His Excellency called for dialogue with parliamentarians in the West. His Excellency praised the Arab peace initiative launched by H.R.H. Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to establish peace in the Middle East. He requested the Conference to assist our peoples to face the challenges of globalization and poverty. In conclusion His Excellency thanked the participating delegations, H.E. the Senegalese President and H.E. President Abdoulahed Al Radhi as well as the Secretary General of the Union.
6- The President of Senegal gave the floor to the Representative of H.E. the OIC Secretary General who thanked the government, parliament and people of the Republic of Senegal for the excellent preparations made for this great Conference. He conveyed to the Conference the greetings of the OIC Secretary General and his wishes for the success of the Conference, which groups together the Parliamentarians of the Islamic world who represent the legislative powers in it. He wished the Union further development and success in order to unify the Islamic rank in the face of escalating dangers in today’s world aimed at the preservation of the Islamic identity vis-à-vis ruthless and unjust campaigns waged by zealots against Islam. He concluded his speech by stating that the OIC is exerting great efforts for establishing the dialogue of civilizations instead of the so-called clash of civilizations, aimed at building a world in which peace and tranquility may prevail.
7- H.E. the President of Senegal gave the floor to His Eminence Hojjatul Islam Ali Akbar Nateq Nouri who began his speech by congratulating His Excellency President Abdoulaye Wade on his election. His Eminence also expressed greetings and appreciation to the Honouable Pape Diop, Speaker of the National Assembly of Senegal for the excellent preparations made for the Conference and for the generous hospitality. He pointed out that this great Conference would achieve all the objectives of its Agenda. He stated that several economic, political and social developments have taken place in the world and constituted great challenges to the Islamic Ummah, and that the big states did not benefit from the shining values of Islam in order to change their policies and eliminate poverty, famine, environmental degradation and human rights violations. He underscored that those states are misleading the Islamic world on the pretext of addressing the issues of international security and promotion of democracy while they engage in destroying resources and infrastructures and murder innocent people. Unfortunately most of these events take pale in Islamic territories. His Eminence maintained that the most significant cause for Muslims is the cause of Palestine and Al Quds, the First Qiblah of Muslims. He stated that the USA has not exerted any effort to put an end neither to the ongoing conflict in Palestine or the occupation of the lands of Syria and Lebanon. It is rather aiding the repressive policies adopted by the Zionists making it an accessory to the crimes committed by the criminals in Tel Aviv. He referred to the unjust treatment of Muslims in both Afghanistan and Iraq. He lauded in conclusion the success of Lebanese combatants in ensuring the release of their comrades from the shackles of the Zionist occupiers.
8- His Excellency the President of Senegal gave the floor to H.E. Mr. Jakob Kellenberger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) who thanked the Islamic Parliamentary Union for granting the ICRC the Observer status and giving him the opportunity to address the Conference. His Excellency stated that the objective of the Committee is to respect the Humanitarian International Law and cooperate in order to provide help to victims of violence, prisoners and detainees in order to preserve human dignity and values. His Excellency also stated that the activities of the ICRC cover Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Sudan and the African Continent. He called on the Islamic Parliaments to teach the Humanitarian International Law as part of school curricula and enact national legislations to put it into actual practice. His Excellency thanked the Secretary General of the Union and underscored the contacts which he made and which resulted in the present Cooperation Agreement between the Union and the ICRC.
9- H.E. Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal delivered an exhaustive speech. He welcomed the participating delegations in their second home, Senegal, and congratulated them on the new Hijri year. His Excellency underlined the significance of this Conference which is being held in an important and crucial time in which the Islamic world is facing numerous challenges, primarily the issues of Al Quds Al Sharif, Palestine, the reconstruction of Iraq and international terrorism. He stressed the imperative of dialogue among civilizations in order to build a world in which peace and stability prevail. His Excellency called on the conferees to uphold the basic sources of the true Islamic religion. He cited the verses from the Holy Quran, which enjoin resorting to Shura. He called for coexistence among states because Islam encourages cooperation. His Excellency condemned mixing between Islam and terrorism. He condemned the crime of assassinating the former Chechen President in Qatar. His Excellency urged the Islamic peoples to cooperate among themselves to counter the phenomenon of extremism and the imposition of ideas by force because the message of Islam is peace and the love of others. His Excellency declared that he will call for convening a World Conference in Senegal in September 2005 on dialogue between Islam and Christianity because the most dangerous foe is silence and negativism.
His Excellency also called for establishing an Islamic fund to bridge the digital technological gap between developed states and our developing states.
In conclusion His Excellency reiterated that the cause of Palestine is an obligation on the parliaments and governments of the Islamic world because this cause is an inalienable right until the Palestinian State is established on its territories. His Excellency condemned the erection of the racist separation wall and invited all to denounce it during the session of the International Court of Justice. He also wished success to the proceedings of the Conference. (Text of the speech is in Annex No.2). The speech was met with loud applause. Then His Excellency left the Conference Hall and was seen off by the committee of honour. (Programme of Work for the Inaugural Session of the Conference is in Annex No.3).
FIRST WORKING SESSION:
Election of the Members of the Bureau:
10- The Conference resumed its proceedings and President Pape Diop called for electing the other members of the Bureau. The Conference approved by applause the election of H.E. Professor Dr. Mustafa Sait Yazicioglu, Representative of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey as First Vice-President of the Conference for the Asian Group; the election of H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Al Abrach, Speaker of the People’s Council of Syria as Second Vice-President for the Arab Group; and the election of H.E. Mr. Abdullah Al Warthi, Representative of the House of Representatives of Morocco as Rapporteur of the Conference.
The Agenda:
11- The Conference reviewed and adopted its Agenda and Programme of Work. (Annexes 4 & 5).
Exchanging observer status between the Union and the ICRC
Pursuant to the recommendation of the Sixth Session of the Union’s Council on7-8 March 2004 in Dakar, the Council approved by applause to exchange the observer status between the Union and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Honourable President of the Conference invited His Excellency Mr. Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC to accede to the rostrum and sign with him the Cooperation Agreement between the two organizations in three copies in English whereas each party keeps a copy and the third copy to be deposited at the headquarters of the Union in Tehran. (Copy of the Cooperation Agreement is in Annex No .7).
SECOND WORKING SESSION
Report of the Secretary General
13- When the First Working Session resumed its deliberations in the evening, H.E. the President invited the Secretary General of the Union to review his Report submitted to the Third Session of the Conference. The Secretary General indicated that this Report covers the period starting from the Second Session held in Rabat in September 2001 till the present time. It basically concentrates on political activities as follows:
The statements issued by the Union’s Member Parliaments, which were translated by the General Secretariat and faxed to all members, and which number 30 statements.
The statements that were issued by the General Secretariat in the periods between the meetings of the Union’s organs, concerning emergencies and events of special interest to the Islamic Ummah, and which numbered 15 statements whose texts are annexed to the Report, for the information of Member Parliaments.
The speeches delivered on behalf of the Union in international and regional forums, which number 20 speeches, whose texts are attached to the Report.
Meetings with important figures within the framework of the Union and outside it, which numbered thirty six meetings in the various capitals of the world, whose contents are included in the Report, the most important being the meeting with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other ICRC officials, that resulted in the exchange of status of observer and the signing of the cooperation agreement between both sides; also the three meetings that took place with Mr. Bruce George President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (PA OSCE) with a view to establishing a mechanism for sustained dialogue between our Union and the said Parliamentary Assembly.
14- The Council adopted the Report of the Secretary General.
Formation of Drafting Committees
15- The Conference formed three Committees under the Chairmanship of H.E. the Rappoteur, the first for Political Affairs, Final Declaration and Conference Resolutions, the second for drafting the resolutions concerning Economic Affairs and the third for Cultural Affairs. The three Committees were invited to start their work; and that H.E. the Rapporteur would submit their results the following morning to the General Secretariat, for preparation and submission to the Conference for adoption of the Resolutions and Final Declaration in the Third Working Session on the evening of the second day of the Conference.
16- The General Secretariat distributed the working papers and draft resolutions to all participants in the three languages so as to enrich the work of the Conference and facilitate the task of the drafting committees, according to the following:
Four working papers and four draft resolutions submitted by the People’s Council of Egypt.
Three working papers and four draft resolutions submitted by the House of Representatives of Lebanon.
One working paper and one draft resolution submitted by the Islamic Shura Majlis of Iran.
A draft resolution submitted by the Palestine National Council.
Adoption of the Reports of the Fifth and Sixth Sessions of the Union’s Council:
17- The Conference adopted the Report submitted by the Union’s Council on its Fifth Session held in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon in January 2003, which the General Secretariat distributed in February 2003 to all Member Parliaments but received no observations thereon, from any of them (Annex No.11).
18- The Conference also adopted the Report submitted by the Union’s Council on its Sixth Session held in Dakar, on 7 and 8 March 2004 by the Member Parliaments themselves, at the level of the Union’s Council (Annex No.9).
Granting the Observer Status to the Turkish Muslim Community of Kibris
19- In response to the recommendation of the Ninth Meeting of the Executive Committee in Jakarta in September 2003 and the Tenth Meeting in Dakar on 5-6 March 2004 as well as the recommendation of the Union’s Council in its Sixth Session in Dakar on 7-8 March 2004, the Conference approved by applause granting observer status to the Turkish Muslim Community of Kibris and called on their representatives to enter the Conference Hall. The Conference listened to a statement of thanks and appreciation from the representative of the Community H.E. Dr. Fatma Ekenoglu, Speaker of the Parliament of Kibris.
GENERAL DEBATE
20- Twenty delegations asked to be given the floor as follows:
H.E. Nabih Barri,
Speaker of the House of Representatives of Lebanon;
H.E. Jamal Aish,
Head of Delegation of Palestine National Council;
Hojjatul Islam Mahdi Karroubi,
Speaker of the Islamic Shoura Council of Iran;
H.E. Abdul Ahad Jamaluddin,
Head of Delegation of the People’s Council of Egypt;
H.E. Dr. Said Yazicoglu,
Head of Delegation of the
Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Turkey;
H.E. Dr. Ali Al Atoum,
Head of Delegation of the National Assembly of Jordan;
H.E. Dr. Sheikh Salih bin Abdullah bin Humaid,
Speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council;
H.E. Dr. Mohsin Al Bousairi,
Head of Delegation of the National Council of Kuwait;
H.E. Dr. Abdullah Al Hardallo,
Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Sudan;
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Shabib Al Tahir,
Head of Delegation of the Federal National Assembly of the United Arab Emirates,;
H.E. Mr. Abdul Latif Ahmed Al Sheikh,
Head of Delegation of the Shoura Council of the Kingdom of Bahrain;
H.E. Mr. Pohurungi Parawans,
Head of Delegation of the House of Representatives of Indonesia.
H.E. Sheikh Hussain Abdullah Al Ahmar,
Speaker of the House of Representatives of Yemen;
H.E. Mr. Karim Younis,
Speaker of the People’s Assembly of the
People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria;
H.E. Sheikh Mohammad Mubarak Al Khaliefi,
Speaker of the Shoura Council of Qatar;
H.E. Dr. Mahmoud Al Abrash,
Speaker of the People’s Assembly of the
Syrian Arab Republic;
H.E. Mr. Al Haj Abu Bakar Sombari,
Speaker of the National Assembly of Guinea;
H.E. Mr. Hamado Sali,
Representative of the National Assembly of Cameroon;
H.E. Mr. Mohsen Al Tamimi,
Deputy Speaker of the House of
Representatives of Tunisia;
H.E. Dr. Al Said Al Moggadam,
Secretary General of the Consultative Council of the
Maghrib Union.
21- The speeches exhaustively expressed the stances of the Member Parliaments on political, economic and cultural issues included on the Agenda, especially those relating to the cause of Palestine, the racist separation wall, Iraq, combating terrorism, globalization and dialogue among civilizations. The three subsidiary committees, chaired by His Excellency the Rapporteur, formulated those stances and included them in the Declaration and the Resolutions adopted by the Conference.
THIRD WORKING SESSION
Designation of the members of the new Council of the Union
22- The Secretary General stated that the tenure of the Union’s Council has expired with the end of convening its Sixth Session in Dakar on 7-8 March 2004 and that the formation of the new Council provides for a Member Parliament to nominate two (2) sitting parliamentarians as its representatives to the new Council and that the Union’s Conference shall approve the new formation. (Names of the nominated members of the Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Council are in Annex No.6) The latter will hold a procedural session to elect its Bureau, which is composed of a President (from the Arab Group), a First Vice-President (From the African Group), a Second Vice-President (from the Asian Group) and a Rapporteur. (Report of the Procedural Meeting of the Seventh Session of the Council is in Annex No. 10).
Election and designation of the new members of the Executive Committee:
23- The Secretary General stated that the two-year tenure of the Executive Committee of the Union has expired by the holding of the Tenth Meeting of the Committee in Dakar on 5-6 March 2004 and that the new formation of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
The President of the Council shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Executive Committee.
A representative of the current Presidency of the Conference (Senegal), represented by H.E. Mr. Khalifa Niasse; a representative of the pervious Presidency of the Conference (Morocco), represented by H.E. Mr. Abulouahed Al Radhi; a representative of the next Presidency of the Conference (Turkey), represented by H.E. Dr. Mustafa Said Yazicoglu as well as a representative each from two states of each of the three geographical groups of the Union.
24- As the Seventh Session of the Union’s Council decided in its procedural meeting held in Dakar on 10 March 2004 to elect H.E. President Nabih Barri, Speaker of the Lebanese House of Representatives, as the President of the Council, therefore His Excellency will also be ex-officio Chairman of the Executive Committee.
25- The Arab Group nominated both the State of Kuwait and Algeria to the membership of the Executive Committee. The two states will be represented by H.E. Dr. Mohsin Al Bousiri and H.E. Mr. Saddiq Bu Qataya, respectively.
26- The African Group nominated both Cameroon and Guinea to the membership of the Executive Committee. The two states will be represented respectively by H.E. Hamado Sali and and H.E. Mamado Salio Baldi.
27- The Asian Group nominated both Kazakhstan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, which will be represented respectively by H.E. Amalbek Tshanov and H.E. Dr. Kazem Jalali.
Date and venue for holding the Fourth Session of the Union
28- H.E. the representative of the Republic of Turkey informed, on behalf of H.E. the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, about the readiness of His Excellency to preside and host the Fourth Session of the Conference in Istanbul at a date to be defined in consultation with the General Secretariat of the Union.
29- The Conference accepted by applause the offer of presiding and hosting of the Fourth Session.
FOURTH WORKING SESSION
30- The Conference reviewed and adopted the Final Report.
31- H.E. the Rapporteur read the “Dakar Declaration” adopted by the Conference, which highlighted the vision of the Islamic Ummah on political, economic and cultural subjects included on its Agenda which are of extreme importance. It decided to widely propagate this Declaration through the mass media.
CLOSING SESSION
32- The Conference held its closing session under the Presidency of His Excellency Mr. Pape Diop. The Conference decided to send a message of thanks from the Conference to His Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal.
33- The Conference listened to three votes of thanks by the representatives of the three geographical groups of the Conference delivered by the following:
H.E. Mr. Nabih Barri,
Head of Delegation of Lebanon
for the Arab Group.
His Eminence Sheikh Mahdi Karroubi,
Head of Delegation of Iran
for the Asian Group.
H.E. Mr. Beye Ndege
Representative of the Republic of Senegal for the African Group.
34- H.E. the President of the Conference thanked Their Excellencies the Heads and Members of Delegation who exerted efforts and thought to participate in this all-inclusive Islamic parliamentary conference on examining the causes of the Islamic Ummah and supporting its joint efforts and solidarity and confronting the challenges facing it. His Excellency thanked H.E. the President of the Republic of Senegal Mr. Abdoulaye Wade for honouring and inaugurating this great Conference. His Excellency also thanked the General Secretariat and members of the Technical Staff, wishing everyone a safe and happy return home.
35- The Conference concluded its proceedings by listening to a blessed recitation from the Holy Quran.