Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Jordan took part in the 18th mid-term ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) held in the Azerbaijan capital Baku on 03-06 April. Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani headed the Jordanian delegation to the meeting, which stressed full support to the Hashemite custodianship over Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem and commended Jordan's role to defend the holy places.

The final statatement condemned the illegal policies and practices by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinian people, including, the construction and expansion of illegal settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes and properties, the acts of collective punishment against the civilian population, including the imprisonment and detention of thousands of civilians and the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The ministers reiterated their urgent calls for serious, collective efforts to bring a complete end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, which have been occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, in accordance with, and in full respect of, international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law, and the relevant United Nations resolutions, including Security Council resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973) and its most recent resolution 2334 (2016)." "We express our profound sadness and condemnation of the willful killing and injuring of hundreds of Palestinian civilians participating in the commemoration of the Land Day, in Gaza on 30 March 2018, at the hands of Israeli occupation forces. We demand an immediate end to all such violations and grave breaches of the law and for full compliance by Israel with its legal obligations," the statement said.

It urged the international community to act swiftly to avert further dangerous deterioration and destabilization of the situation and to fulfill, without delay, the historical, political, legal and moral responsibilities towards the question of Palestine, including in support of the Palestinian people’s realization of their inalienable rights, including to self-determination and freedom in their independent State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.

"In this regard, we call for the intensification of international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quartet Roadmap, and a just solution for the Palestine refugees based on General Assembly resolution 194 (III)," it said.

The ministers reaffirmed their support to and unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and their leadership "at this critical time in their long struggle to fulfill their legitimate national aspirations." They condemned any notion and attempt to alter the status of East Jerusalem into the capital of Israel, and called for countries with diplomatic missions in Tel Aviv to refrain from relocating them to Jerusalem.

The meeting emphasized the need to strengthen NAM solidarity in combating terrorism "in all its forms and manifestations, wherever and by whosoever committed, in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the relevant international conventions." In this context, the ministers stressed that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group.

On the Syrian crisis, the Ministers expressed their concern about the increasing numbers of refugees due to the conflict, and praised the great efforts made by host countries, especially Jordan, to shelter them despite the political, social, economic and financial burdens imposed by their presence on the host countries.

The final communiqué stressed the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities in providing support to host countries to enable them to meet the burdens of Syrian refugees and to respond to growing humanitarian needs, including direct support, and appealed to the countries that had pledged humanitarian assistance to fulfill their commitments.

The ministers welcomed the participation of a number of NAM member countries in the extraordinary ministerial conference in support of UNRWA held in the Italian capital of Rome on 15 March, calling for supporting the efforts of providing economic and humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people suffering from a difficult economic situation resulting from the Israeli occupation.

With regard to terrorism, the final communiqué affirmed that all means and practices of terrorism in all its forms are activities aimed at the eradication of human rights, democracy and freedoms and constitute a threat to the unity and security of States, as well as to the destabilization of legitimate Governments.

The statement affirmed the support of the non-aligned countries in the fight against terrorism in all its forms, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and relevant international treaties.

It expressed growing concern over hate practices targeting ethnic, religious and minority communities and denounced the support of religious hatred, which constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, whether through the use of various media (print, video and audio).

On human rights, the final communiqué stressed the commitment of the Movement's States to the promotion and protection of human rights through constructive international dialogue, capacity-building and technical assistance, stressing the need to deal with human rights in a fair manner on the basis of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action.

It stressed the need to support and strengthen the Non-Aligned Movement to preserve its heritage and history on the basis of solidarity among Member States.

On the sidelines of his participation in the conference, Momani met with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and discussed bilateral ties.

The minister also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and discussed Jordan's pioneering role on Jerusalem and spoke about efforts to contain the repercussions of the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel.

Momani also discussed with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov the Jordanian-Azeri ties in economic and political domains in addition to a number of Middle East issues.

The minister also met with Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Garces and discussed with her a wide range of key issues, namely, the Palestinian cause.

During a meeting with President of the United Nations General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak, Momani stressed the importance of multilateralism within international frameworks and the importance of preserving and strengthening it, especially within the UN system.

He also noted the need for concerted efforts to mobilize the required financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to enable it to continue its vital work as mandated by the United Nations General Assembly.