OIC Press Release

Dr. Abdelouahed Belkeziz, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference addressed messages to the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan and to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Security Council Member States urging them to act for an immediate end to the war in Iraq which has already claimed thousands of lives and caused untold damage and devastation.

In his messages, the Secretary-General stressed that war has never been the optimal approach for international conflict resolution, especially in this particular conflict for which the United Nations had a sound approach for its settlement through the international inspectors. He further recalled that this war had not been authorized by the Security Council and falls, by way of consequence, outside the bounds of international legitimacy.

The Secretary-General expressed the OIC’s readiness to use all its weight and potential to ensure the return to the peaceful track for the settlement of the Iraqi issue.

The Secretary-General had already undertaken consultations with a number of Foreign Ministers of the OIC Member States and examined with them the necessary modalities for an action at the international level and at the level of the United Nations to ensure a quick end to the war and the return of peace and security to the region.