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Khatami Urges Islamic States' Support for Palestinians
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami on Monday urged Islamic states to support the Palestinian people and defend their rights during the upcoming summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
"On the threshold of the OIC summit, I tell all my colleagues in the Islamic and Arab world that the oppressed Palestinians are placing hope on us to defend their rights and at least echo their voice to the world," Khatami said.
The 56-member OIC is scheduled to hold its ninth summit in Doha, Qatar on November 12-14, during which Iran is to hand over its rotating chairmanship to Qatar.
Khatami also called on Qatar to sever trade ties with Israel, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Only Egypt, Jordan and Turkey in the Middle East have official diplomatic relations with Israel. Some other countries exchanged trade offices or interest sections with the Jewish state.
Tunisia, Morocco and Oman severed their limited ties with Israel following the outbreak of bloody clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians late September, especially after an Arab summit in Cairo last month to condemn Israeli "atrocities."
But Qatar has so far resisted calls to close an Israeli trade office in Doha and its trade representation in Tel Aviv.
There are reports that Khatami might boycott the OIC summit due to Qatar's refusal to sever trade ties with Israel.
More than one month of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts have so far left some 180 people dead and thousands wounded. Most of the victims were Palestinians.
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