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Islamic Countries Seek to Reach Unified Position: Algerian FM
Algerian Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem Wednesday voiced hope that the coming emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) will reach a unified position on the latest international developments.
In a statement issued in the Qatari capital of Doha, quoted by Kuwait's KUNA news agency, Belkhadem expressed fear of Arab and Muslim states that the US attacks on Afghanistan will stretch to other countries.
"The OIC meeting is to call on the great powers, especially the US, to avoid targeting any people, any state or any civilization," Belkhadem said.
The US warned on Monday that it may launch military strikes against other nations and groups to fight terrorism, a day after the US-British forces launched air strikes against Afghanistan to "smoke out" Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, whom Washington blames for the September 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington.
The Algerian foreign minister anticipated that the OIC officials will send a clear message of denunciation of terrorism and condemnation of any mixing between Islam and terrorism, and will find a solution to issues that lead to violence.
He stressed that terrorism should not only be faced by military forces but by cooperation among countries, calling for international cooperation to eradicate the phenomena.
He also warned against being "selective" in the terrorism issue.
The 57-member OIC, an umbrella organization representing 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, will hold a two-day emergency meeting in Doha later Wednesday to discuss the consequences of last month's terror attacks in the US and the aftermath of the US retaliatory attacks on Afghanistan.
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