TEHRAN - Foreign Ministers of neighboring countries of Iraq convened for the third time within the scope of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) 30th Term Foreign Ministers Meeting in Tehran, Iran on Wednesday.
Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Iran, Jordan, Syria and Egypt and Deputy Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait attended the meeting. Bahrain took part in the meeting as the term president of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The attendants stated in the joint declaration, which was announced after the meeting, that they were in solidarity with Iraqi people with Islamic brotherhood. They confirmed that they were respectful towards Iraq's sovereignty, political independence, national unity, territorial integrity and stability and they emphasized that Iraqi people had the right to decide freely their political future and form a broad-based government.
According to the declaration, it was stated that Iraqi people had the right to benefit from Iraq's natural resources and control those resources completely. Attendants said that it was necessary not to interfere with Iraq's interior affairs and Iraq had to continue its good relations with its all neighbors.
The joint declaration noted that U.N.'s lifting the embargo on Iraq was pleasing, adding that the U.N. had to play a central role in establishment of a government in Iraq after the war, renewal of local institutions, and organizing humanitarian aid and reconstruction. The full sovereignty of Iraq had to be rapidly restored by setting up a legal government, it was noted.
The declaration underlined the fact that the religious, historical, archaeological and cultural inheritance of Iraq and the civil rights and freedom of Iraqi people had to be protected and security and stability in this country had to be installed within the scope of international laws and particularly of Geneva Convention. The occupier states had to guarantee respect to sovereignty and territorial independence of neighbour countries of Iraq, it was noted.
The first leg of the Regional Initiative on Iraq was held in Istanbul, upon the initiative of Turkey, and its second leg was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul will attend the dinner to be hosted by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi in the honour of delegations that attended the OIC meeting this evening. Gul and the accompanying delegation will leave Iran in the afternoon for Turkey.
(GC-ÖS) 28.05.2003