Eurasia Press & News
KUALA LUMPUR: Lawmakers representing more than 40 Muslim countries will gather next week to discuss how to help resolve the conflicts in Iraq and Palestinian territories, the meeting’s host Malaysia said Friday.
The restoration of Iraq’s sovereignty and the problems posed by Israel in the Middle East will be key issues at the meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference’s Parliamentary Union, organisers said in a statement issued through Malaysia’s national news agency, Bernama. Parliamentarians at the Feb 15-16 meeting are expected to call for foreign forces to leave Iraq immediately, and for Muslims worldwide to help find a lasting solution to end the Palestinians’ plight, the statement said.
The OIC’s Parliamentary Union comprises 47 members, including Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Organisers did not say whether Iraqi or Palestinian representatives would attend the meeting, but they are members of the union. Participants will also discuss measures to promote dialogue between Islamic and Western parliamentarians to foster better understanding, as well as issues related to the global fight against terrorism, the statement said.
Malaysia is the current chair of the OIC, which has 57 members and is the world’s largest Muslim political bloc. Not all the OIC’s members are part of its parliamentary union.
