Saudi cabinet approves OIC charter,
new countries to be welcomed in fold
RIYADH: The Council of Ministers yesterday endorsed the new charter
of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the world’s
largest organization of Muslim countries, which is based in Jeddah.
The new charter, which was adopted by the OIC summit in Dakar last
year, aims at reforming the organization. It allows new countries to join
the body with only a majority vote instead of unanimous agreement.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the new charter replaced
the 1972 version, which was outdated. Established in September 1969, the
OIC aims at promoting solidarity among Muslim countries.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King
Abdullah, authorized Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to sign an
agreement between Saudi Arabia and the OIC regarding the organization’s
headquarters.
The meeting decided to sign extradition agreements with Afghanistan
and Argentina and authorized Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior
Prince Naif to hold talks with officials of the two countries.
The Cabinet commended the resolutions taken by the GCC Consultative
Summit in Riyadh, including the decision to set up the GCC central bank
in the Saudi capital. The Gulf leaders also agreed to establish a railway
linking the six member countries.
King Abdullah briefed the ministers on the content of messages and
telephone calls he had received during the past week from world leaders
including UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Yemeni President Ali
Abdullah Saleh and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.