Muslim Countries Want Immediate Cease-fire In Lebanon, UN Force
Komfie Manalo - All Headline News Foreign Correspondent Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AHN) - Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar on Tuesday said his country will host an emergency meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) this week to call for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and discuss a formal U.N peacekeeping force in the region. The state-run Bernama News Agency quotes Minister Hamid as saying, "We want a UN peacekeeping force. We will also urge that such a force include the participation of Islamic nations." Malaysia is the current chair of the 57-nation OIC and will host nearly 20 of the group's member nations in the administrative capital of Putrajaya on Thursday. The meeting was originally scheduled for the OIC's executive committee, but the gathering suddenly expanded to included other member countries who were concerned over the escalation of violence in the Middle East. Topping the agenda is the current Lebanese crisis and the role to be taken by the OIC in resolving the issue. Minister Albar adds that the meeting will press the United Nations and the international community for an immediate cease-fire and the quick deployment of a U.N. Peacekeeping force that must include OIC members, as well as the efficient distribution of humanitarian aid. Those expected to attend the meeting were Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, |
