Bangladesh is ready all set to host the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting on May 5 and 6 in capital Dhaka.
Reform in OIC, Rohingya and setting up of conflict management centre are expected to dominate in the upcoming meeting, sources said.
“We thought that it would be easy for us to pass through the calm sea but things are not happening as we expected,” said a senior Bangladesh official seeking anonymity.
“We are passing through very critical time, not only the global geo-politics but also Muslim-ummah geo-politics,” the official told Bangla Tribune.
Reforms in OIC
Another official said it was a ‘taboo’ to speak about reform in the OIC in the earlier days.
But, due to changing scenario in the Middle East and other parts of the world, the governments are now ready to bite the bullet and talk about the gaps in the past, he said.
“There is a proposal on reform which would be discussed in the upcoming meeting,” he said adding, “In the past members hesitate, but this time they agreed to find out what OIC does and what we need to do.”
Conflict Management Centre
Turkey has put forward to set up a centre on conflict and mediation capacity building and it is expected that it would pass through this meeting.
An official said, “The centre is likely to set up in Turkey but the members are yet to take any decision. The proposal would be put forward before the council for taking decision and we hope that it would pass through this time.”
What would be the use of such centre, he said, “Some member countries have conflict among themselves and this centre is supposed to reduce the tension.”
Rohingya
A three-page Rohigya resolution is expected to be adopted in the council of ministers meeting, said another official.
In the last three council of ministers meeting or the Cairo summit, it was difficult to add a single clause on Rohingya in the outcome documents but this time all the members agreed to have a comprehensive separate resolution.
He said a good number of ministers are expected to visit Cox’s Bazar on May 4 to see the plight of Rohingyas for themselves.