Jordan calls for effective, immediate humanitarian aid mechanism in support of Afghans at OIC meet

AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Sunday highlighted the importance of working effectively and systematically to help the Afghan people whose country is “at a crossroads”.

On behalf of the Arab Group at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at the inauguration of an extraordinary session on the humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan that was held upon calls from Saudi Arabia, Safadi highlighted the importance of the OIC to agree on an effective and immediate humanitarian aid mechanism to help the Afghan people. 

Thanking Pakistan for hosting the 17th extraordinary session and Saudi Arabia for calling for this meeting, the foreign minister said that Jordan has offered all it can to support Afghanistan, including humanitarian support through the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

He added that Afghanistan today is standing at a crossroads: Either to retreat towards destruction and chaos or heading towards the recovery path through adopting a path of reconstruction that respects the right of the Afghan people to a decent life.

"It is either the catastrophic situation of chaos and darkness of terrorism or the positive outcomes of reconstruction and the light of the Islamic religion," Safadi said, stressing that the option "must be clear". 

The minister said that “Afghanistan has a reality that cannot be ignored and there is no alternative to engaging with Afghanistan in a dialogue with clear humanitarian and legal references with the coordination of partners”.

He also highlighted the importance of forming an Arab-Islamic communications group that, in coordination with international community, should be tasked with identifying bases of engaging in these efforts to protect Afghanistan.

In his speech during the opening session and the following panel discussions, Safadi highlighted the importance for the OIC to adopt two resolutions on Palestine and Jerusalem, especially that the Palestinian cause has always been and will always be the top central cause.

The minister stressed that no comprehensive and permanent security, stability and peace will be achieved if the Palestinian cause is not resolved according to bases that guarantee the realisation of all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

The top of these rights, Safadi said, is an independent, free and sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 lines according to the two-state solution, which can live in peace and security side by side with Israel. 

He added that Jordan will continue to be a solid support for Palestinians and devote all its efforts to help them achieve all their legitimate rights and to protect the occupied Jerusalem and its Islamic and Christian sites that will always be a priority for His Majesty King Abdullah in his capacity as custodian. 

Meanwhile, Safadi met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed means of enhancing cooperation and the latest regional developments.

The minister also met with his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Palestine over ways to develop "brotherly ties" and coordinate stances in service of Arab causes. 

Safadi also met with foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where discussions focused on boosting ties and the latest updates in the region.

He also met with UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths over existing cooperation in helping Syrian refugees and the challenges emerging from the drop in international support for Syrian refugees and host countries.