JEDDAH, 5 January 2005 — Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is to send a mission to the West Bank to help monitor elections to be held on Sunday.
Headed by Ambassador Saad Eddin Taib, adviser to the OIC secretary-general, it includes seven observers who will be posted across the polling stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It leaves Jeddah today.
Secretary-General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu is also sending Ambassador Abdul Aziz Abu Ghush, director of coordination, as his special envoy on this occasion, an OIC statement said yesterday. It said the delegation would be preparing a report based on its observations of the election process and it would be submitted to the Palestinian Authority as well as OIC member states and other international organizations.
The statement explained that all this was within the context of OIC’s contribution to strengthening Palestinian democratic institutions and enabling the presidential elections in Palestine to succeed.
In a related development, OIC has been assured of support from the Saudi government. This was expressed during a meeting Professor Ihsanoglu had with Prince Sultan, second deputy prime minister and minister of defense and aviation in Riyadh on Sunday.
Prince Sultan said OIC has always received and would continue to receive support from the Kingdom to enable it to occupy the esteemed position that it deserves.
Professor Ihsanoglu said Saudi Arabia’s “unflagging” support had been a great factor in the organization’s successful performance and effective role in international, Arab, and Islamic arenas.
In a separate meeting, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, minister of foreign affairs, reiterated the principled position of the Kingdom to support the organization to achieve the objectives for which it was founded.
Referring to the perennial financial difficulties facing the organization, the prince expressed his wish that all member states would pay serious attention to this aspect.
