Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary summit to discuss Palestines independence and the current status of development in Jerusalem in Jakarta next month, a Foreign Ministry official said.

"The OIC summit will discuss Palestine and Al Quds Al Sharif (Jerusalem)," the Director General of Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hasab Kleib, said here on Thursday.

The extraordinary conference is scheduled for March 6 and 7 and all heads of states and governments of 56 OIC members will be invited, he said.

The conference will also be attended by observer countries, such as Thailand, Bosnia Herzegovina, Russia and the Republic of Central Africa.

Hasan said due to the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem, Palestines President Mahmoud Abbas had specially demanded, in December 2015, that the OIC hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the development.

"The situation in Jerusalem, especially at the Al Aqsa Mosque, is worrisome," he said.

"There are two issues: access of Muslims to the Al Aqsa mosque, which is increasingly being restricted by the Israeli authorities and the security of those entering the mosque," he said.

Hasan said the summit would reflect Indonesias support to the independence of Palestine and Israel-Palestine peaceful efforts in realizing the two-state solution.

In connection with the event, Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union (the quartet), will also be invited, as parties participating in the peaceful talks between Israel and Palestine, Hasan said.

"This is the idea of the Palestinian foreign minister, who wishes to invite the quartet that has played a major role in the Israeli-Palestine peace process," he said.

"The peace process that has been carried out by the quartet has been seen as declining," he said.

In view of that the summit is expected to be able to produce two statements on Jerusalem and Palestine.

"The results of the summit will be two-fold. The first will be a communique containing the fundamental position of OIC member countries towards Palestine and the second might be called the "Jakarta Declaration," which will include steps to be taken by the OIC to help Palestine," Hasan said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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