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Prime Minister Khaleda Zia returned home Thursday night after attending a one-day emergency executive committee meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) at Putrajaya in Malaysia, reports UNB.
A special flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage arrived at the Zia International Airport (ZIA) at around 1:00am.
A hearty sendoff was given to Prime Minister Khaleda by Malaysian government at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Ministers, diplomats and high civil and military officials welcomed and received the PM at the VVIP tarmac at the ZIA.
Khaleda left Dhaka for Kuala Lumpur Wednesday afternoon to attend the OIC emergency meeting on the Lebanon crisis and Middle East situation.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh will write letters to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and other important states having influence on Israel asking them to immediately stop Tel Aviv's brutal carnage in Lebanon and Gaza, seen as crime against humanity.
Announcing this Friday at a news conference on the outcome of the OIC emergency summit in Kuala Lumpur, Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin said the letter would be sent soon, but it is not decided yet whether the country will write the letter independently or with other OIC members collectively.
The foreign secretary said the OIC meeting, chaired by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, appealed to all the 56 member states to join the move for sending a 'strong message' to the world community to force Israel to stop this wanton aggression.
Replying to a question, Hemayet agreed that although a bit late in initiating the move by the OIC, it is better than doing nothing.
He said presence of Bangladesh, having 140 million Muslim population, has created a 'special impact' in the context of the Muslim Ummah.
Quoting Khaleda's statement at the summit, he said if the Israeli violence does not stop, its continuation carries the danger of a spillover that will have disastrous consequences.
This will surely add to radicalisation in the Muslim world, he further said.
Bangladesh strongly believes in tolerance and moderation, but if the aggression continues, radical elements will get upper hand, he added.
Asked why frontline OIC member states like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) had no Head of the State level participation in the meeting, Hemayet said the meeting dubbed as 'friends of the chair' was convened hurriedly giving priority to those Muslim states having larger Muslim populations.
Asked why the OIC would not urge to shut down Israel's trade offices in some of its member states, Hemayet said he could not speak for the decision of other states.
Portraying the pensive mood at the Summit for the senseless massacre of Lebanese people, including women and children, irrespective of religion, he said: "It was difficult to hold back one's tears when the Lebanese Foreign Minister narrated in an emotional statement on what is now going on in his country."
He said two separate declarations were adopted on Israeli aggression in Lebanon and Gaza. In the declaration on Lebanon, in the event of failure by the UNSC to act immediately, the summit called upon all OIC member states to be united for convening a meeting of the General Assembly in cooperation with other UN members.
"…there should be no impunity for violations by Israel of
international humanitarian law…, the declaration said.
"We hold Israel responsible for the loss of lives and suffering as well as the destruction of properties and infrastructure and demand Israel to compensate the Republic of Lebanon and its people for the losses sustained resulting from Israeli aggression", it said.
The summit agreed to establish a contact group on the current
situation in Lebanon. The contact group will be coordinated by Malaysia and comprise members of the OIC Troika and other interested members.
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