Palestine issue top priority of Islamic world: Rouhani

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said Palestine remains the most important issue for the Islamic world, media reports said.

After the collapse of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, the issue of Palestine has regained its importance for the Muslims, Xinhua quoted Rouhani as saying.

He made the statement during the opening ceremony of the 13th Session of the Parliamentary Union of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Tehran.

The current instability and insecurity gripping the region stem from continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, he said.

Rouhani urged the Islamic states to unite for the creation of a "calm region and peaceful foreign relations" and said Iran views no country as its "competitor" in the region.

"Some countries, however, are following the wrong path and seek to widen the rifts among Muslim nations under the US and Israel's influence," Rouhani said.

He criticised some Muslim states for what he called their dependence on foreign powers, saying "the experiences of modern history teach us that these powers solely think about their own interests".

Iran believes it could even engage in negotiations and cooperation with the countries with which it has differences of opinion based on mutual respect, he added.

The ongoing meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC, which will last until Wednesday, is being attended by parliament speakers, deputy speakers, and parliamentary delegations from 44 countries.

--IANS

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