MAKKAH, 8 December 2005 — A near-full complement of heads of state and government attended the Islamic summit here, though there were some marked absentees.
Some Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, were absent. Reports say Mubarak will attend the second day of the summit today. Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi did not come. Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika could not make it as he is recuperating following a successful surgery for stomach ulcer in Paris. The Tunisian and Syrian presidents too were among those who were absent.
Official delegations participating in the summit began arriving at the Al-Safa palace here early. Most of the heads of state too arrived with their delegations and took their seats inside the hall; the last to arrive was Moroccan King Muhammad. The inside of the hall was abuzz with activity with the members greeting each other and having their own impromptu conferences. In addition to kings, presidents and foreign ministers the nation’s scholars were also present. Special buses transported the scholars to Al-Safa Palace.
Throughout the morning hours, the Jeddah-Makkah highway was closed to normal traffic and only delegations were allowed to travel. Those not attending the summit were forced to use the old Jeddah-Makkah highway.
The media delegations covering the event was huge. Officials from the Ministry of Information have allowed only one journalist from each country inside the hall. This left many journalists, who after coming all the way to attend the main meeting only to be turned away from the hall, very disappointed. Only 10 women journalists attended, some from outside the Kingdom.
Morocco’s King Muhammad said that his country was committed with the rest of the world in fighting terrorism. His speech resonated with the summit issue on terrorism. He said Morocco supported King Abdullah’s idea of establishing an international center to fight terrorism. King Muhammad called on the Islamic world to work, cooperate and coordinate to defeat terrorism. This, he said, could be achieved by curbing disputes between Islamic countries and also combating sectarianism. He also backed the initiatives that would help restructure the OIC.
