PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

 

Much more must be done to help the poor in the Muslim world so that they would not be vulnerable to groups with an agenda that was not in the interests of Islam, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said this morning at a Headquarters press conference.

“I am very concerned about Islam being hijacked”, said Mr. Abdullah, who chairs the Tenth Islamic Summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).  The OIC should do more to emphasize development issues, he added, noting that its members were among the poorest countries in the world.

He also criticized the “strong tendency” to link the war on terrorism with the campaign against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in which Islamic countries, particularly Iran, were being singled out.  If there was a problem with the issue of proliferation it must be dealt with, but to accuse a country of promoting terrorism would only complicate the issue and prompt a reaction that would not be good for world stability.

In response to several questions about the composition of the Security Council, he reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for Japan’s bid for a permanent seat, although Malaysia did not wish to pick a favourite from among the countries jockeying for position, preferring to let the current discussions proceed.  However, the Security Council must be geographically representative; any new members should not be overwhelmingly Asian or overwhelmingly African.  There must be a good spread, he added.

Asked to comment on the situation in Iraq, the Prime Minister expressed concern that escalating violence may jeopardize the Iraqi people’s chance to participate in elections scheduled for January and to form a government of their own choice.  He would raise the issue in his meeting with the Secretary-General later today.

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