OIC Press Release

In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, may Allah preserve him, to allocate a temporary building for the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), pending the construction of its new headquarters in Jeddah, the Director General of the Ministry of Finance and National Economy office in Makkah Al-Mukarramah region, Engineer Muneer bin Abdullah Najjar and the official incharge of OIC affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Counselor Zuhair bin Mohammad Idrissi, handed over the temporary new headquarters, called VIP Centre, on Madinah Road in Jeddah, to the OIC General Secretariat, on Monday 18 Ramadan 1422H, corresponding to 3 December 2001.

On this occasion, the Counselor delivered to the General Secretariat a cheque for SR. 2,800,000/- as a gracious donation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to assist the OIC General Secretariat in furnishing and equipping the new headquarters.

In this respect, Counselor Zuhair Idrissi stated that work is currently underway to prepare plans and designs for building the permanent Headquarters on a plot of land donated by the Kingdom. This land, on Madinah Road in Jeddah, has an area of 25,000 Sq. metres.

Mr. Idrissi affirmed that these noble deeds were, once again, reflective of the Kingdom’s continuous support to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to help it fulfill its tasks under the most propitious circumstances and in the best possible manner as required. It would also, indeed, enhance the energetic efforts being exerted by OIC Secretary-General H.E. Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz in pushing forward the organization to reach the standard and prestige it deserved on both the Islamic and international levels. Hence, the constant support lent by the Kingdom to the OIC was indicative of the utmost interest vested in and the attention provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince, to the Organization. That was no surprise or new on the part of the Kingdom, said Mr. Counselor, "which has always been raising high the banner of Islamic solidarity, since the era of the late King Abdul Aziz Al-Saud (may his soul rest in peace) on whose footsteps his loyal sons have followed." He added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was pursuing its sustained support to the OIC aware as it was of the Organization’s importance in fostering Islamic solidarity which constituted one of the mainstays of its foreign policy, proceeding from its upholding of and abidance by the Islamic Shari’a. "For this reason," he went on, "it is always in the forefront of the Muslim countries that back the Organization – quite often the first in this field, out of its keenness to enable the Organization to achieve its objectives and do all that is of a nature as to promote and benefit Islam and Muslims and help the causes of the Islamic Ummah triumph."

For its part, the OIC General Secretariat expressed its deep gratitude and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and HRH the Crown Prince for the Kingdom’s continuous support to the Organization ever since it was headquartered in Jeddah, over thirty (30) years ago.

His Excellency Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz views this new noble deed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, namely the new temporary headquarters and the ongoing arrangements to construct the permanent buildings as yet another most evident proof of the Kingdom’s determination to contribute to bring about a qualitative leap in the working of the Organization by providing the best possible conditions for the staff, to expand its horizons in discharging its noble mission in the service of Islam and Muslims, while strengthening intra-Islamic cooperation and solidarity. The Secretary-General stressed his conviction that the Member States of the OIC share his feelings of satisfaction and fully appreciate this noble deeds by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in favour of the OIC.

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