JEDDAH, 27 May 2003 — Foreign ministers of the Jeddah-based Organization of the Islamic Conference will meet in Tehran later this week to discuss a host of issues including the Palestinian issue, Iraq and terrorism, an OIC source said here yesterday.
All 57 member states except Iraq are expected to take part in the plenary conference from May 28-31 to “review and consult about the situation in Iraq,” following the US-led war to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, the source said. No invitation was sent to Baghdad because there is no legitimate authority running Iraq’s affairs, he added.
The OIC has repeatedly called on the US-led forces that toppled Saddam’s regime to leave Iraq as soon as possible. The conference agenda, prepared by senior officials during a meeting held in Jeddah last month, also includes the Israeli-Palestinian issue, notably the status of Jerusalem. Terrorism and dialogue between civilizations will also be tackled at the conference. The chief diplomats of Islamic states will also discuss the situation in Afghanistan, in addition to difficulties facing Muslim minorities around the world, especially in troubled spots like Kashmir and Chechnya.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople has been invited to attend the meeting as a “guest” of the conference. Bangladesh, the world’s third largest Muslim-majority country, last Thursday put forward senior politician Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for the post of OIC secretary-general, occupied since 2001 by Abdulwahed Belkeziz.
