The 11th Session Niamey Declaration was adopted by the members of the PUIC Council in Niamey on the 19th of February 2009
NIAMEY DECLARATION
adopted by the 11th Session of the PUIC Council
Niamey, Republic of Niger on 18 – 19 February, 2009
The Council of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States held its 11th Session in Niamey, Republic of Niger, on 22-23 Safar1430 H, corresponding to 18-19 February, 2009 under the Presidency of His Excellency Mr. Mahamane Ousmane, Speaker of the National Assembly of Niger, and in the presence of the majority PUIC Member Parliaments.
The participants discussed developments facing the Islamic World and concluded as follows:
1- The Council strongly condemns the savage Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip which led to the death of hundreds of civilians and injury of thousands of people, and left in its wake huge destruction of houses, civilian facilities, the infrastructure and places of worship. The Council hails the steadfastness of the Palestinian People and their valiant resistance and its legitimate right to resist aggression. It stresses that the actions of the occupation forces is considered as State terrorism and demands to prosecute those responsible for committing these crimes before international justice. The Council appeals to the international community to ensure the continuation of the cease fire as well as unconditionally lift the unjust blockade from Gaza Strip and open all land, air and sea corridors.
2. The Council calls for solidarity among Islamic States in order to document the Israeli war crimes and submit them to the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court and the European States Courts whose constitutions permit investigation into crimes against humanity, and request to apply the International Law so that the Israel leaders war criminals shall be punished for their sinful action. The Council calls for submitting these documents to the UN International Human Rights Council to apply its rules thereon.
3. Denounces Israeli attempts aimed at Judaizing Al-Aqsa Mosque and the other sacred Islamic sites in the city of Al-Quds, especially the ongoing excavations underneath Al-Aqsa Mosque and the racist separation wall. The Council requests the international community to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli excesses and preserve the historical sanctities.
4. The Council requests the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to commit Israel to apply the Fourth Geneva Convention on the occupied territories and treat the Palestinian prisoners and detainees in its prisons according to the International Law. It demands to immediately release the Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Dr. Aziz Al- Duwaik and his fellow Representatives.
5. The Council requests to revitalize the Arab Peace Plan and holds the Quartet and the international community totally responsible, including the UN Security Council and to deploy all efforts in order to resume bilateral negotiations between the two sides without delay or procrastination aimed at putting an end to the Israeli occupation of all the Palestinian and Arab lands occupied in 1967, and establishing the independent Palestinian State with Al-Quds as its capital according to the resolutions of the international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Plan.
6. Calls on the Palestinian factions to renounce their differences, put an end to the state of division, resume immediately national dialogue to ensure the realization of the Palestinian national unity and serve the higher interests of the Palestinian people as well as strengthen its ability to continue its just struggle to recover its basic national rights to establish its independent state with Al-Quds as its capital, and the right of Palestinian refugees, deportees and displaced to return to their country.
7. Denounces the policy of turning a blind eye on the Israeli nuclear arsenal, which endangers security and stability in the entire region, in the absence of any international control. The Council demands to make the entire Middle East region a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear weapons.
8. The Council appeals to the Member States and the international community to contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza Strip and the infrastructure which have been destroyed by the Israeli war machine, and extend urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people and ensure the return of the dispersed people to their homes.
9. Hails all the peoples, forces and parties in the different parts of the world, who poured into the streets to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just cause as well as their condemnation of the Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinian citizens, including the use of internationally banned weapons and targeting humanitarian and international institutions.
10. The Council supports the endeavor of the brotherly Iraqi people to regain their sovereignty. It calls on foreign forces to leave Iraq expeditiously according to a timetable while observing international legitimacy and the principles of the rules of International Law, non-intervention in the internal affairs of Iraq, respect for its sovereignty and the will of the Iraqi people to choose their political and administrative system in such a way as to guarantee the unity of the land and people of Iraq. The Council supports the efforts of the Iraqi government to build its security and military institutions to impose the law and defeat terrorism as well as achieve independence. The Council calls for action to return the refugees to their regions and compensate them for the damages, which they have incurred.
11. The Council commends the exit of Lebanese political blocs and parties from the impasse of the political presidency, and lauds the signing by Syria and Lebanon of the memorandum to start official diplomatic relations between the two sisterly countries. Emphasizes the right of the Lebanese people and their heroic resistance to recover the sovereignty of Lebanon over all its occupied territories, including Shabaa Farms, using all available means. The Council denounces continuation of Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan.
12. The Council condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It distinguishes between terrorism and the just and noble resistance. It views the state terrorism practiced by Israel against the Palestinian as the worst kind of terrorism. It announces its rejection of selectivity and double standard policy to combat terrorism as well as all attempts to link terrorism with a certain religion or culture. The PUIC Council also demands a thorough definition of the term “terrorism”.
13. Stresses the necessity of cooperation between Islamic and Western Parliaments for the sake of joint action and calls for supporting dialogue between Islamic and Western Parliaments. The Council confirms that dialogue constitutes an important pillar in the work of Islamic Parliaments.
14. The Council requests to take steps to strengthen the bonds of solidarity and unity among Islamic states and emphasizes the importance of cooperation to face external threats which target the Islamic Ummah, especially as regards religious values and principles. It calls for the quick conclusion of an internationally binding instrument to ban insult to beliefs, values and principles.
15. The Council is of the view that the policy of double standards in international issues have prejudiced world peace and promoted the idea of individual and collective terrorism through blind bias to one side against another without due regard to the rights of Muslim peoples or to deal realistically with their long standing sufferings, problems and causes. Therefore, the real standard is the internationally recognized rights, or those around which the international community rallies included in the rights of peoples to peace and security. The Council welcomes the action taken by the new US administration, represented by US President Obama, who took a decision to close down the Guantanamo Prison, which represented a blatant violation of human rights. The Council calls on the US President Obama to improve the image of the USA in the eyes of Muslim peoples and regimes and also to remove the tension created by the previous Administration due to its naked intervention in the affairs of Islamic states.
16. The Council recognizes the right of every state to have access to modern technologies and energy, taking into consideration the limited energy sources and the dire need to utilize these technologies in order to close the gap in the field of development. It stresses the equal and inalienable rights of all peoples to explore and make use of modern technologies, including the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
17. The Council commends the election of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmad as president of the Republic of Somalia and calls for solving the problem of Somalia in the framework of national reconciliation that brings together all factions to the conflict so that the brotherly Somali people may concentrate on issues of development and progress. The Council expresses its satisfaction with the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia, and stresses the necessity of non-foreign intervention in Somalia by any party. It also stresses the preservation of the independence and territorial integrity of Somalia.
18. The Council supports the efforts deployed by the sisterly Republic of the Sudan to address the problem of Darfur through diplomatic means and in the framework of national reconciliation that accommodates the people of Darfur and realizes their citizenship. The Council rejects the intervention of any foreign or international military forces without the approval of the Republic of the Sudan. It calls on the member states to address the problem of thousands of Darfur refugees and extend food, shelter and health support to them.
19. The Council rejects allegations of the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court against Sudanese leaders which constitute a flagrant violation of the Charter of the Court itself and the International Law, and violate the national sovereignty of the Republic of Sudan. It calls on the PUIC Member Parliaments to request their respective governments to denounce any acts against the Muslim States and to maintain solidarity with the Sudan in defending its sovereignty security and stability in the face of this hostile attitude shown by the International Criminal Court and its Prosecutor General as well as forces instigating him.
20. The Council reiterates the previous resolutions of the OIC on the issue of Cyprus and also the resolutions of the PUIC, and expresses its utmost regret that the statements and appeals made by the UN Secretary General, international organizations and all other states as well as resolutions adopted by various international organizations to put an end to the isolation of Turkish Cypriots, have not given any concrete results until now. It calls on the member states to extend support to their brothers in northern Cyprus and maintain effective solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot State as well as close links with it aimed at helping this state to overcome the inhumane isolation imposed on it, as well as strengthen relations with it in all fields, especially direct transport, commerce, tourism, culture, advertisement, investments and sports activity.
21 The Council recalls the OIC Charter and the resolutions adopted by the Islamic summit conferences and the conferences of the OIC foreign ministers as well as international agreements, declarations and conventions calling for abidance and observance of human rights, especially political, social, cultural and economic rights and the freedom of worship. It particularly recalls Lausanne Agreement, which guarantees the rights of the Muslim minority in Western Thrace, such as their own language, practicing their religious rites and freely electing their representatives in all fields. The Council calls on Greece to take the necessary measures to respect the rights and basic liberties of the Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace based on the multilateral and bilateral agreements and conventions which have been signed by Greece.
22. The Council views with the utmost concern that the longstanding Kashmir issue has not been solved during the past sixty years which has led to a great suffering by the people of Kashmir. The Council supports the right of Kashmiris is self-determination. It stresses on solving this problem in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
23. The Council strongly denounces the continuous Armenian aggressions against the Republic of Azerbaijan and urges the parties to strongly hold to the UN Charter and the full implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions. It calls on the member states and other states in the international community to use all effective political and economic measures in order to put an end to the Armenian aggression and the occupation of Azeri territories. The Council expresses its concern about the humanitarian problems, which face more than million of Azeri displaced and refugees.
24. The Council rejects all sanctions, whether unilateral or multilateral, imposed on any Muslim country under any pretext or excuse, which conflict with the principles of human rights and state rights. It calls for respecting the sovereignty of states over their territories as well as their political and economic independence.
25. The Council stresses the dire need for member parliaments to further strengthen their consultations and adopt a unified stand on issues of interest to the Muslim Ummah in international parliamentary fora. It also stresses their role in unifying the opinions of Muslim Parliaments vis-à-vis issues and subjects under discussion in international meetings.
26. The Council also stresses the importance of crystallizing a unified vision to face the developments and challenges of globalization and their impact on developing, especially Islamic States, in order to achieve desired objectives.
27. The Council confirms the necessity of interdependence and solidarity among sisterly Islamic states, especially at the time of natural disasters. The Council calls on OIC member states to allocate voluntary contributions to the OIC Islamic Solidarity Fund to assist states affected by disasters.
28. The Council calls on the member states to consider canceling or alleviating the debts due from poor member states, whose indebtedness impedes their developmental efforts, especially under the shadow of the current global economic crisis.
29. The Council expresses its utmost concern about the spread of Islamophobia in Western societies and calls for facing this phenomenon through projection of the real image of Islam as a religion that calls for love, tolerance and respect for the other .
30. The Council decries the attacks which target Muslim societies and calls on the international community to conclude an international agreement banning any insult to beliefs and religious values and principles. It urges all Muslim governments and parliaments to follow up the efforts aimed at adoption of a UN resolution that puts an end to attacks on religions and their symbols.
31. The Council is of the view that dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions is the only way towards global understanding on pending issues and propagating the language of peace and tranquility between nations. This is what is demanded by our Islamic world and stresses in all for a, meetings and dialogues in an attempt to overcome a lot of disfigurement in the Western media. In order to realize this the Council invites all national parliaments to play an effective role in implementing the Global Agenda or Dialogue among Civilization, and to establish a PUIC focal point on dialogue and one inside every parliament aimed at developing the culture and spirit of dialogue. The Council calls for paying attention to teaching Arabic language to non- Arabic speaking students in Islamic states. It also calls for establishing national television channels in foreign languages directed to the West.
32. The Council stresses the importance of propagating the values of democracy and human rights, which conform to the Islamic Sharia, among Muslim peoples through teaching them as part of curricula in PUIC states. The Council expresses regret over attempts to utilize the issue of human rights in order to interfere in the internal affairs of some Muslim states and throw doubt on the principles and the fundamentals of the Islamic Sharia.
33. The Council is of the view that it is necessary to enact national legislations that promote democracy, human rights, and freedom of opinion and expression, and ensure effective participation of citizens in building and developing their society, especially to promote the role of women in society and grant them all their political, cultural and social rights.
34. The Council requests Islamic organizations and civil society institutions in the parliaments of member states to highlight the rights which Islam provides for women aimed at drawing up a document for Muslim women and a document for Muslim children, and present them to Specialized UN Committees for discussion as part of world documents so as to be a reference for the rules which enable Islamic states to implement them.
35. The Council thanks the President, government, parliament and people of the sisterly Republic of Niger for the warm reception and generous hospitality and for providing the appropriate atmosphere in order to express the reality of the Muslim Ummah and the great challenges facing it.
Niamey, 19 February 2009