Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref represented the country in the OIC meeting that ended on Monday night with a joint communique emphasizing the centrality of the Palestinian issue and warning against the violation of Iran's sovereignty.
During his address, Aref pointed out a number of challenges, including the indifference of the international community that has made the Zionist regime more emboldened to kill Palestinians
He also called for the collective action of Islamic and Arab countries to achieve three main goals, including "stopping the crimes of the occupying regime", "taking the necessary measures to ensure that these crimes are not repeated " and "adequate compensation for the damage caused to the people of Palestine and Lebanon by the occupying regime".
Iran's Deputy Minister for Legal and International Affairs gives the following assessment of the joint meeting of the OIC and the Arab League in Riyadh.
Following the escalation of aggression and crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian and Lebanese people in recent months and the deterioration of the situation in Palestine, especially in Gaza as well as in Lebanon, a request to hold an emergency OIC meeting at the leadership level was called with the aim of urgently addressing the situation, condemning the aggressions and crimes and adopting decisive and practical measures, Gharibabadi said in his report.
He said that the initiative was first proposed through a letter from the Iranian Foreign Minister to the Secretary General of the OIC and was followed up in their face-to-face meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Gharibabadi added: During his recent regional trips and meeting with officials and his counterparts, Abbas Araghchi raised the issue of holding an emergency meeting of heads of Islamic countries. Finally, Saudi Arabia last week by sending an invitation to the heads of Islamic and Arab countries, convened an emergency joint meeting of Islamic and Arab countries in Riyadh.
In the same framework and in order to review and prepare a draft resolution, foreign ministers of Islamic and Arab countries met on Sunday (November 20) and discussed the current situation in Palestine and Lebanon in the face of the Zionist aggressions.
The deputy of legal and international affairs of Iran’s Foreign Ministry participated in this meeting at the head of a delegation and explained his country’s stance and the ways out of the current crisis in Gaza and Lebanon. In this meeting, Gharibabadi noted that, he emphasized need for more effective practical measures to stop the crimes of the Zionist regime.
The Iranian diplomat said that the participants exchanged views on numerous issues such as the immediate establishment of a ceasefire in Palestine and Lebanon, the reopening of humanitarian crossings in Gaza, release of all Palestinian prisoners and the dignified return of the refugees to their homeland and aid to begin reconstruction in Gaza.
Also, considering the hostile actions of the Zionist regime against the legitimacy of the United Nations, such as tearing up the charter, calling the UN chief an undesirable element, banning UNRWA in the occupied territories, killing hundreds of UN employees, and the complete disregard of the regime, the meeting came to the point that the time has come to expel the Zionist regime from the United Nations.
Gharibabadi said that while preparing the final document of the emergency meeting of the heads of state, Iran submitted a written proposal to the OIC Secretariat and a significant part it was included in the draft which are as followed:
- Requesting the international community to implement all the content of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice issued on July 19 regarding ending the occupation, and paying compensation for the damage caused by the occupation as soon as possible.
- Request to compel the Israeli regime to respect international law and make the regime accountable
- Strong condemnation of the Israeli regime for invading Gaza and Lebanon, Syria and targeting civilian
- Withdrawal of regime forces from the occupied territories and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Palestine and Lebanon
- Request for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza
- Request for unhindered access of humanitarian aid to people in all war-affected areas
- Requesting all governments to put arms embargo on the Israeli regime
- Expulsion or suspension of Israel's membership in the UN General Assembly
- Condemning the action of the Israeli regime in banning UNRWA activities
-Condemning the extreme and racist l actions and statements of Israeli ministers and asking the international community to hold them accountable based on international law.
- Requesting the release of Palestinian prisoners and detainees
- Requesting the UN members to impose sanctions on the Israeli regime in order to force it to comply with international law and relevant resolutions.
IRNA