Jordan urges more OIC involvement in counterterrorism

Jordan on Thursday stressed the importance of intensifying communication and coordination among member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address mutual challenges.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by Jordan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jamal Shamaileh, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh reaffirmed Jordan’s support for Palestine and its utter rejection of meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

At an extraordinary meeting for the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Judeh stressed the need to implement the two-state solution, under which an independent Palestinian state is established within the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on relevant international references and the Arab Peace Initiative.

Jordan continues to exert efforts to address the Israeli violations against Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the minister said in the speech, adding that this can be accomplished only through a joint Arab and Muslim effort, using all available means, most importantly the Hashemite custodianship over Christian and Islamic sites in Jerusalem. 

He also condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran, highlighting the Jordanian response to the incident in support of the Gulf kingdom.

Commenting on Iran’s nuclear deal, Judeh voiced hope that Tehran’s agreement with the P5+1 nations will be a part of series of corrections and reviews that will eventually lead to enhancing the role of the region’s countries and people and ensuring their security.

He reaffirmed Jordan’s unchanging position, supported by Saudi Arabia, against terrorism and extremism.

Judeh said the OIC should extend a helping hand to the international community to counter terrorism and extremism, and help showcase the true peaceful image of Islam, according to Petra. 

Also speaking at the meeting, OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani said the worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are diverting attention from the “real challenges” facing Muslims, Agence France-Presse reported.

Addressing representatives of the 57-member organisation, Madani said the attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran “contradict diplomatic standards”, stressing that “interference in the affairs of any member state undermines our organisation’s charter”.

“It is clear that the continued deterioration of relations between some of our member states contributes to deepening rifts” among Islamic nations, he added.

Such tensions “distract us from addressing the real challenges”, including “terrorism”, AFP quoted Madani as saying.

“It is regretful that the reality of the Islamic division and differences negatively affect the performance of the OIC” and its international credibility, he added.

Madani called for “building bridges of understanding and restoring mutual trust” through dialogue.

This will prevent conflicts “that will waste energy and hinder the development of our people”, he said, according to AFP.

Iran sacked a senior security official over his failure to stop the attack on Riyadh’s embassy. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said the attack was wrong and against Islam.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir told Thursday’s meeting that Iran respects neither Islam nor the charter of the OIC, AFP reported.

“The importance of this meeting is in the fact that this aggression is not the first but only a part of a series of continuous attacks that diplomatic missions have been subjected to in Iran for 35 years,” Jubeir said.

“It is important to point out that the aggression against the kingdom’s missions comes as part of Iran’s aggressive policies and its continuous interference in the internal issues of the countries in the region.”