UAE’s foreign minister Rashid Abdullah will lead the Emirati delegation to the meeting of foreign ministers of member states of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), which opens Monday in Doha to discuss the upsurge in Middle East violence, Emirates’ official news agency (WAM) reported.
The Palestinian issue will top the agenda of the ministers’ talks who will discuss the latest developments in the occupied territories in light of the Israeli escalation against the Palestinians.
They will also exchange views on ways of activating the world opinion to provide the Palestinian people with international protection as per the Geneva convention of 1949.
The ministers will review as well ways to move at the UN level to get the Security Council to act to stop the Israeli atrocities and to force the Israelis to implement UN resolutions, said the agency.
The meeting was called by Qatar, current chair of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) at Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's request to discuss “ways of halting Israel's offensive against the Palestinian infrastructure.”
The Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani asked US President George W. Bush to urge Israel to allow Arafat to attend the meeting.
However, Arafat has announced he would not go to Doha, for the current development at home.
On Sunday’s weekly cabinet session Sharon said that it was unlikely Arafat would be able to take part in the conference, since he should be busy fighting “terrorism” in PA-controlled areas.
The Prime Minister said the PA had made no official request to leave the territories – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
