OIC Press Release

His Excellency

Mr. Kofi Annan

Secretary General of the United Nations

New York

Your Excellency the Secretary General,

I am happy to convey to you our deep appreciation of your sincere role and efforts to serve international peace and security. I refer, in particular, to your proposal to dispatch a multi-national force to the occupied Palestinian territories after the grave deterioration of conditions there, which jeopardizes security and stability in the Middle East region.

While we express our full support of this proposal, we believe that it must be implemented as expeditiously as possible to avert the danger of a regional war being triggered as a result of Israel’s continued, escalating, and unprecedented aggression, and to create conducive conditions for the resumption of the peace process.

Furthermore, following the confirmed reports of the perpetration, by the Israeli occupation forces, of crimes against humanity, including large-scale massacres, genocidal killings, executions and detentions of Palestinian civilians in Jenin and Nablus, we appeal to you urgently to dispatch an international commission of inquiry into the atrocities that have been and are still being committed by the Israeli occupation forces which are trying to conceal them by removing the dead bodies of hundreds of Palestinians for burial in secret locations in addition to evicting and displacing thousands of Palestinians after plundering and demolishing their homes.

The commission of inquiry most also expose the crimes of pillage and robbery committed by the Israeli occupation forces upon their invasion of Palestinian civilian homes, institutions, cultural centers, and banks as well as exposing their confiscation of documents, records, and computers belonging to Palestinian ministries and official and private institutions in order to paralyze their operation and prevent them from serving Palestinian society.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference looks forward to the urgent dispatch of a multi-national force and an international commission of inquiry and at the same time welcomes cooperation with the United Nations to enable its efforts to succeed in putting an end to the Israeli aggression, exposing Israel’s crimes, and restoring calm to the region to pave the way for the resumption of negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides to reach the desired peace.

Please accept, Your Excellency the Secretary General, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Dr. Abdelouahed BELKEZIZ

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.