Susilo to attend WIEF meeting in Malaysia
Susilo to attend WIEF meeting in Malaysia
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur
The World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), an inaugural gathering
of political and business leaders being held here next month, is
aimed at boosting economic links among Muslim communities,
organizers said on Tuesday.
Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Pakistan's
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz are slated to attend the event, which
is being billed as the "Davos of the Muslim world" after the
World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Switzerland.
"The forum will allow the world to take notice of the
potential which lies within the resources and capabilities of the
Muslim markets," organizing committee co-chair Mirzan Mahathir
told reporters.
"This has the potential to become the mini-Davos for the
Muslim world," he said of the forum which will run for three days
from Oct. 1.
The reference to Davos, a gathering of global opinion leaders,
reflects organizers' hopes of building more business and finance
cooperation among nations from the 57-member Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC).
Mirzan said non-OIC countries such as Australia and Britain
have also been invited in a bid to market the potential of Muslim
countries.
"The WIEF comes at a critical juncture in the history of the
Muslim world. At a time when Muslim solidarity is urgently
needed, there is also a vital need to reach out to the non-Muslim
world and forge dialogs and partnerships," he said.
Malaysia's deputy foreign affairs minister Joseph Salang
Gandum called for more alliances between Muslim nations to
counter poverty and the disadvantages of the global trading
system.
"While many countries have benefited from the multilateral
trade talks under the ambit of the WTO (World Trade
Organization), many in the developing world, including most of
the Muslim countries, continue to be lagging behind," he said.
"By forging stronger alliances between Muslim nations and with
strong participation from the private sector from the wealthy
Muslim nations, we could help the less developed or low-income
Muslim nations develop their economies."
A declaration from the forum on economic and business issues
is expected to be handed to the OIC, which is currently chaired
by Malaysia.
"Increasingly the OIC is not just looking at political issues
but the state of the ummah (Muslims) from an economic
standpoint," Mirzan told reporters.
"This is an opportunity for the business community, the Muslim
business community particularly, to give their input," he said.
The concept of a World Islamic Economic Forum emerged from an
OIC meeting of business leaders held here in 2004 and organizers
are hoping to make the event an annual affair, they said.
Organizers include the OIC, Malaysia's foreign affairs
ministry, Pakistan's Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
and Morocco's Islamic Center for Development and Trade.