Statement by Ambassador Masood Khan of Pakistan , on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), at the Diplomatic Conference on 5 and 6 December 2005
Geneva, 5 December 2005
Mr. President,
I am making this statement on behalf of the OIC under agenda item 9.
We thank Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey for her diplomatic efforts since we met in mid September this year to find a solution of the issue of the third emblem.
We convey our deepest appreciation to you, Ambassador Blaise Godet, for your untiring efforts to iron out differences among all parties. Your firm hand on the steering wheel and your determination to engage all sides equitably has made a difference. And we commend Ambassador Didier Pfirter for conducting a hectic shuttle diplomacy to bring all sides together with a view to creating the right environment for the adoption of the Third Protocol. We thank Mr. Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC, the International Federation, and the Standing Commission for their substantive contribution and their consistent quest for a solution.
We have been looking for a solution of the question of the emblem for more than five decades. We have a historic opportunity to resolve this issue once and for all. Let us make an earnest endeavour to do so by bringing all 192 states parties on board.
In the recent past, a glimmer of hope appeared when the Palestinian and Israeli national societies signed an agreement on the geographical scope of their operational activities, competences and jurisdictions. The two sides made difficult decisions to meet half way. We laud their efforts assisted by Switzerland. Both sides have welcomed Switzerland’s commitment to monitor the implementation on the agreement between the two sides, to report on it to the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and to work with them in an advisory capacity.
Mr. President,
In the light of your commitment on September 13 this year, and subsequent assurances by the Swiss Foreign Minister, we hope that we would have a comprehensive solution on our hands with a similar agreement between the Syrian and Israeli national societies. We need that for a win win solution for all national societies and the international humanitarian community as a whole. We are encouraged that even as we meet here, efforts are continuing to look for common ground between the Syrian and Israeli national societies. In this regard, we appreciate your resolve and perseverance of all sides.
We should assimilate all actors and not isolate any one of them. The new emblem should be symbol of inclusion, not exclusion.
This can be a politically auspicious time if we resolve to take difficult diplomatic decisions.
Let us reiterate some of the underlying principles that would facilitate adoption of the Third Protocol.
Multiplicity and proliferation of emblems will be avoided.
The new emblem would not sow seeds of confusion. It should be a visible sign of the protection conferred by International Humanitarian Law and it should be unfettered by political baggage and bickering.
The new emblem should be a symbol of impartial aid to victims of war, and other situations of violence. It should enhance their protection, not lessen it. It should, therefore, be devoid of religious, political, ethnic or racial connotations.
The new emblem should not undermine the unity of the Movement. It should not cause divisions. To make its acceptance and application wide, this matter must be resolved by consensus.
We should look for a solution acceptable to all parties in terms of substance and procedure.
The principle of consent enshrined in Resolution 11 of 1921 should be upheld and respected.
Our decision to adopt a new Protocol should be anchored in international law and not political expediency to ensure that it has a lasting, not transient, legal validity for medical services and humanitarian workers.
All sides will have to make difficult decisions for a positive resolution to reach universality of the Movement and to assure its unity.
The new emblem should seamlessly blend into the existing emblems and normative framework of the Movement. Loopholes and lacunae could open doors for multiple interpretations and applications.
The draft circulated in 2000 by Switzerland constituted an acceptable working basis. It requires more work. That is why OIC countries have presented amendments to the Depositary.
The new emblem would be used to save lives. It should therefore not polarize; but unite. It should win hearts, not divide them.
To achieve our objectives, let us think unconventionally and courageously. Let’s show willingness to create space for new perspectives, openness for different approaches, and value creation in innovative ways. Let us listen to others intently and attentively, and support each other while we strive to act on new ideas.
It would be naïve to think that known difficult political issues would be resolved through the negotiating process for the adoption of the new emblem. But it is necessary to clear the legal and political underbrush that could hamper the application of the new emblem. We agree with Mr. Kellenberger that the Third Protocol is a purely humanitarian issue. The real challenge for all of us is to align and humanise its political contours and overtones. By crossing this bar, we can generate sufficient bonhomie and empathy for resolving the problems that have been considered to be intractable.
For all of us, this is the time to say “For I will walk the extra mile/When the road ahead seems long”.
We look forward to be working constructively with all states parties