RIYADH, 29 March 2007 — Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said here yesterday that peace and security in the Middle East was fundamental to the interests and aspirations of the entire Muslim world, despite the variations of culture.
“The tragedies of Palestine and Iraq cause the same anguish and anger in our homes as they do in your homes,” he said during his speech at the 19th Arab summit, which he attended on special invitation from Kingdom.
“Your challenges are our challenges. Your success in addressing them is ours,” he said. “Collectively as the Muslim Ummah, all of us, Arab and non-Arab Muslims, feel each other’s pains, face similar challenges, and our destinies are intertwined.”
Musharraf said that the changes in the last century have changed Muslim society, adding that even though many Muslim countries colonized by foreign powers in the past gained their freedom through struggle, several disputes from that era continue to inflict suffering.
He said solving the Palestinian problem was a central issue for establishing peace in the region. Musharraf also blasted the Israeli state for continuing its aggression in the region and its denial to an establishment of an independent state for Palestinians.
“We must set the time line and work with the international community for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital living side by side with Israel in peace and security,” he said.
He said the United States and Europe have a historic responsibility to find a just solution to this issue. He also said he hoped the summit would relaunch the Arab peace initiative, first proposed five years ago.
The crisis in Iraq, he said, has implications far beyond its borders. He also said that tensions in the Gulf region could have drastic consequences not only for the region, but the entire Islamic world.
He called on leaders to join hands to face many of the challenges faced by the Islamic world. “We cannot remain as helpless spectators,” he said.
Musharraf said Muslim countries were facing new dangers, giving the example of radicalism and sectarian differences. “We must not allow a handful of fringe elements to malign our culture of moderation and our noble religion of peace, tolerance, and compassion through their acts of senseless terrorism,” he said.
The president mentioned anti-Islamic sentiments in the West and the smear campaigns by Western bodies.
“There are forces keen on pushing Islam and the West toward a clash,” he said. “These dangerous trends must be confronted to prevent a global disaster.”
He said in order for the Islamic world to move ahead in the global age and revive its glorious past, harmony, peace, reforms, and reorientation needed to take place in Muslim countries. The president said his country was seeking a just settlement to the Kashmir issue for the prosperity of the region, without giving details.
He lauded the role played by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and praised his meeting with the Iranian president as a sincere step by the Kingdom to defuse tension in the region.
Musharraf expressed his thanks to King Abdullah for inviting him to the summit.
On his part, Malaysian Prime Minister Ahmed Badawi said he was hopeful that the Arab League’s meeting under King Abdullah’s presidency would achieve its goals for the prosperity of the region.
“Not far away from us, thousands are suffering. They are hoping that a day would come when their problems are solved permanently,” he said.
“It is therefore your duty, members of the Arab League, OIC (the Organization of the Islamic Conference), to make every effort to resolve issues which have not been resolved,” he said, referring the Palestinian problem, Lebanon and Iraq. He said that the “inability to show unity” among leaders of the Arab world and Islamic Ummah has caused frustration among nations.
He said the Arab League was well placed to understand these issues and speed efforts to find solutions to problems.
He called on world leaders to recognize the Palestinian government. “This government must be recognized. This government must be supported. It is our duty to support it.”
