HH the Emir of Qatar Participates in the 12th Islamic Summit

Cairo , February 06 (QNA) - HH the Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani participated on Wednesday in the opening session of the 12th Islamic Summit, which was held under the title," New Challenges and Growing Opportunities. The Summit is held in Fairmont Hotel in Cairo. HE Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani attended the session along with a number of their Excellencies the members of the official delegation accompanying HH the Emir. HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, arrived in Cairo earlier at noon today and was welcomed upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport by Egyptian Minister Of Civil Aviation Wael Al-Ma'adawi, HE Qatar's Ambassador to Egypt Saif Muqaddam Al-Buainein who is also his country's permanent delegate to the Arab League and the embassy staff together with a number of senior Egyptian officials. Addressing the opening session of the 12th Islamic Summit, Egyptian President Dr.Mohamed Morsi called upon the leaders of the particiopant islamic countries to agree upon en effective mechanism to settle disputes peacefully and dealing with all crises facing the Islamic countries. Such a mechanism would realize interests of the Islamic countries, ensure rights of their peoples, safeguard independence of their resolutions, reduce direct and indirect foreign intervention in their internal affairs and would also contribute to supporting world peace and security", said President Morsi. Elaborating he said such a mechanism comes within the context of countering the political crises of the Islamic countries, the foreign intervention related challenges and the unfair balance of international mechanisms. Dr. Morsi further called upon the member states of the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to adhere to the need to achieve unity among themselves in the quest for the reform of the global institutions, and establishing a wise system of "governance" having a real democratic mechanisms in which the world countries are represented on an equal footing, and contribute to achieving world peace and security. As many as 56 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are participating in the Summit, which is held under the motto 'The Islamic world: New Challenges and Growing Opportunities.' The Egyptian President went on to say that there are Muslim communities in several countries suffering from the / Islam phobia phenomenon, the matter which makes it imperative to discuss such a matter with these countries, stressing meantime that respect for human rights is one of the origins of Islam, and at the same time called upon the world countries to take action and pass legislations and conducting such dialogues to break and narrow the gap with the Islamic world, and to get rid of sectarian sedition and sectarianism. Addressing the OIC's 12th Islamic summit was the OIC'S Secretary General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu who called upon the OIC member states to convene a donor states conference on the holy city of al Quds on the basis of the strategic plan set for developing the vital sectors in the holy city. Touching on the situation in Syria, Ihsanoglu appealed in his personal capacity, the Syrian leadership to place the supreme interest of the country, and the unity of its people above any other considerations and sacrifice, given that governments must be at the service of the peoples, and to respond to their demands and aspirations, expressing the dissatisfaction of the peoples of the Islamic nation from the inability of the UN Security Council on the situation in Syria. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu noted that volume of trade exchange between the OIC member states reached $ 670 Billion in 2011. Then three speeches on behalf of the major groups in the organization, the Arab, Asian and African, were also delivered before the opening session starting by President of the Republic of Senegal, Chairman of the 11th Summit, and then followed by the election of the members of the Executive Office of the Organization. The session began with a welcoming speech by President Morsi, followed by a speech by President of the Republic of Senegal, Mackey Sall, whose country has chaired the 11th Islamic summit, in which he called upon the OIC member states to endorse the official communique of the summit on Mali. The communique was worked out by the African group, Macky Sall said. The conferees will tackle topics on the agenda including conflicts in the Muslim world, the controversial phenomenon "Islamophobia," humane conditions in Muslim nations and enhancing scientific cooperation among the member countries of the Islamic organization. Moreover, they will ponder a host of other issues, namely means of boosting cultural, social and economic cooperation among the OIC countries. (QNA)