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Islamic nations meet to discuss stance on Iraq

The world's Islamic nations opened their biggest meeting in three years yesterday, with senior officials urging the eviction of US troops from Iraq -- a divisive issue that could disrupt hopes of finding a unified voice for widespread fears that the war against terrorism has turned into persecution of Muslims.

The gathering of the 57 member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's biggest Muslim political grouping, is its first regular summit since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US.

Senior officials opened discussions with a prayer yesterday in Malaysia's sparkling new administrative capital, Putrajaya. They will lay out positions for their foreign ministers and national leaders to consider later in the week, ranging from Israel's air strike on Syria to the battle between Israeli troops and Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip.

But Iraq is expected to take center stage, with prewar divisions between Muslim countries over the US-led invasion still raw.

Abdelouahed Belkaziz, the OIC's secretary general, told the senior officials that Islamic nations "are still under the strain of extremely difficult challenges and unprecedented threats to our countries' independence, sovereignty, security and courses."

Top priority should go to "the eviction of foreign forces from Iraq, allowing the United Nations to administer Iraqi affairs [as a] prelude to restoration of Iraq's independence, and to the rebuilding of what has been destroyed over the past 20 years, all in accordance with a clear and short timetable," he said.
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