Report of the 35th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers - Kampala, Republic of Uganda (18-20 June 2008)
OIC/35-CFM/2008/FINAL REPORT
FINAL REPORT OF THE THIRTY-FIFTH SESSION
OF THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS
(SESSION OF PROSPERITY AND DEVELOPMENT)
KAMPALA, REPUBLIC OF UGANDA
14-16 Jumada Al-Thani 1429H
(18-20 June 2008)
OIC/35-CFM/2008/FINAL REPORT
1. At the kind invitation of the Government of the Republic of Uganda, the 35th
Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (Session of Prosperity and
Development), attended by 53 Member States, held in Kampala, Republic of
Uganda, from 14 to 16 Jumada Al-Thani 1429H (18-20 June 2008).
2. The Meeting was opened with a recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an.
3. The Meeting was addressed by the President of the Republic of Uganda, His
Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. In his statement, the President emphasized
the need for unity, dialogue and peaceful coexistence. He also noted that the
diversities in the Member States if properly harnessed and managed could be
source of great strength. He referred to the huge resources and potentials available
in the OIC Member States and stressed the importance to enhance intra-OIC
cooperation by facilitating trade and investment. In this regard, he urged investors
from the Member States to take advantage of abundant natural resources in
Uganda and invest in this country. He insisted that what developing countries
needed was “trade and not aid”.
4. While strongly condemning terrorism, President Museveni distinguished it from
legitimate liberation struggle against foreign occupation. He reiterated his
government’s principled support for the just cause of the Palestinian people and
also appealed for the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
5. His Excellency Mr. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Chairman of the 34th ICFM delivered a speech
in which he highlighted the important activities and developments that took place
during the chairmanship of his country. These included the adoption of the new
Charter, the revitalization of the OIC, the convening of the Executive Committee
on the situation in Palestine, and the various efforts seeking to achieve conflict
resolution. He expressed deep concern at the rising wave of Islamophobia and
called for concerted collective action as well as engaging western countries in
combating this phenomenon.
6. Addressing the opening session, H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, began by
thanking H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda for
hosting the 35th Session of the CFM and for gracing the opening ceremony of the
meeting with his personal presence. He condemned the Israeli illegal practices in
the occupied Palestinian territories, and stressed that these practices constitute a
flagrant violation to the international law while meeting with total silence by the
international community. He also reiterated the OIC support to the Palestinian
inalienable national rights. He stated that the reform of the OIC has now taken
roots by the adoption of the Charter which has heralded a new dawn in the
Organization. Therefore, he appealed to Member States to urgently sign the
Charter. He further spoke of the rising profile of the Organization and pointed out
that the Organization has emerged as an indispensible international player.
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Elaborating on the need to strengthen intra-OIC cooperation, he identified the Ten
Year Program of Action (TYPOA) as a key framework for achieving sustainable
economic and social development. He strongly emphasized the commitment of
the OIC in addressing poverty alleviation, food security and agricultural
development in its Member States, and also for combating the issue of defamation
of Islam and the scourge of Islamophobia.
7. The Meeting then unanimously elected H.E. Hon. Sam Kutesa, Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Uganda, as Chairman of the 35th Session of the Council of
Foreign Ministers. It also approved the composition of the Bureau as follows:
Islamic Republic of Iran, Syrian Arab Republic and the State of Palestine as Vice-
Chairs, and Islamic Republic of Pakistan as Rapporteur.
8. The Meeting listened to a welcome address by His Excellency Mr. Hon. Sam
Kutesa, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Uganda who expressed the honor
done to his country to host the 1st CFM after the adoption of the revised Charter.
He commended the achievements of the OIC on peace and security issues and
urged it to henceforth concentrate on sustainable economic development. In this
context, he identified the TYPOA as the blue print to help achieve these
objectives.
9. The representatives of the three geographic groups, the Foreign Minister of the
Islamic Republic of Iran for the Asian Group, the Foreign Minister of Chad for
the African Group and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Syria for the Arab Group,
thanked Uganda for hosting the Meeting and its generous hospitality. They also
congratulated the host Foreign Minister for his election as chairman of the 35th
CFM and assured him of their cooperation.
10. The Foreign Minister of Senegal, H.E. Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio conveyed to the
meeting a message of H.E. Maitre Abdoulaye WADE, President of the Republic
of Senegal and Chairman of the 11th Summit. President Wade remarked that the
adoption of the new Charter would enable the OIC to confront the serious
challenges facing the Ummah. He called for the effective implementation of the
TYPOA particularly the Special Program for the Development of Africa. He also
reiterated the need to find solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East and other
parts in the Muslim world.
11. During the opening ceremony, Mrs. Olive Zaitoun Kigongo, President of the
National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uganda and Chairperson of the
OIC Business Forum, held in Kampala on 16-18 June 2008, presented a summary
report on the Forum. The Council expressed the appreciation to the Government
of Uganda, the OIC and the ICCI for successfully organizing this Forum which
will contribute to the strengthening of trade and investment within OIC Member
States. It encouraged Member States to organize similar fora in the future.
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12. During the general debate in the plenary Session, statements made by delegations
who highlighted the various issues that remain the preoccupation of Member
States and current issues affecting the interest and their well being.
13. The Council adopted the report of the preparatory Senior Officials Meeting
(SOM) for the current session, held in Jeddah from 12 to 14 Jamadul Awwal
1429H (17 to 19 May 2008). It also adopted the Draft Agenda and Work Program
submitted to it by the SOM as well as the reports of the Islamic Committee on
Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs.
14. Guided by the Final Communiqué of the 11th Summit held in March 2008 in
Dakar, Republic of Senegal, a wide range of issues of interest to Member States
were discussed including the situation in Kosovo. The Council has adopted
various resolutions, inter alia, in the following areas:
a. The cause of Palestine, the City of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and the Arab –Israeli
Conflict;
- The Occupied Syrian Golan
- Solidarity with Lebanon
15. Concerning the appointment of the Assistant Secretaries-General, the Council
decided to defer this item to the 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers
(CFM) and to request the Secretary General to pursue his consultations with the
Member States and Permanent Representatives to the Organization of the Islamic
Conference, with a view of reaching consensus.
16. The Council welcomed the establishment within the General Secretariat a
Department of humanitarian affairs. It duly took note of the observation on the
need to rotate the leadership of this Department on geographical basis.
17. The Council welcomed the signing of the adopted OIC Charter during the
Session by: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kingdom of Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Turkey, Tunisia, Malaysia, Niger, Yemen, Uganda and Chad.
18. The Council renewed its congratulations to H.E. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
for the Islamic Summit’s decision to renew confidence in His Excellency by
granting him a second five-year term as Secretary General of the OIC, starting
January 1, 2009. It commended the Secretary General’s role to reform, promote
and enhance the effectiveness of the OIC and to consolidate its vital role in
spearheading joint Islamic action and encourage him to continue his efforts.
19. The Council decided to hold the 36th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers
(CFM) in the Arab Republic of Syria in the second half of May 2009. It also took
note of the proposal made by Tajikistan to host the 37th CFM Session in
Dushanbe, in 2010. The Council further supported the proposal of the Republic of
Kazakhstan to host the 38th CFM in 2011 in Astana.
20. On behalf of all the participants, H.E. Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary
General of the OIC, addressed a cable of thanks to H.E. Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, for hosting by his country of the
CFM and for the facilities extended to the delegates, which highly contributed to
the success of its 35th Session.
Kampala —Republic of Uganda
20 June 2008
b. Implementation of the OIC Ten Year Programme of Action,
c. Situation in Iraq,
d. Jammu and Kashmir Dispute,
e. Peace Process between India and Pakistan,
f. Situation in Somalia,
g. Solidarity with the Republic of The Sudan,
h. Situation in Cyprus,
i. Aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan,
j. Situation in Afghanistan,
k. Situation in Cote D’Ivoire,
l. Assistance to the Union of Comoros,
m. Combating International Terrorism,
n. Combating Islamophobia and raising awareness of its implications on global
peace and security,
o. Rejection of the Unilateral US Sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab
Republic,
p. Imposition of Unilateral Economic Sanctions on Member States
q. Negative impact of economic and financial sanctions on the full enjoyment of
Human Rights by people of the targeted country,
r. Right of the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to Reparation
For the Losses Caused by the 1986 American Military Aggression,
s. Lifting of sanctions against the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya,
t. United Nations Reform,
u. Disarmament issues,
v. Cooperation by the Islamic Republic of Iran with IAEA,
w. Security and Solidarity among Member States,
x. Situation at the border between Djibouti and Eritrea,
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y. Questions of Muslim Communities and Minorities,
z. Legal and Organic, Information, Cultural, economic, Science and
technology, and Administrative and Financial Affairs.