OIC Participates in Somalia’s Reconciliation Conference

IN its efforts to be more engaged in the Somali issue, the Secretary General of the OIC, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, is sending a delegation to the concerned neighboring countries Yemen and Djibouti to examine the Somali internal conflict and ways for the OIC to assist in resolving it. The OIC has expressed its interest in contributing towards bringing political stability and security to Somalia and in providing humanitarian aid to the internally displaced people, which was welcomed by the Somali President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed.

Following the visit to Yemen, the OIC has been invited to participate in the reconciliation conference between the Somali Government and he opposition groups to be held in Djibouti under the auspices of the UN Special Office in Somalia on May 10, 2008. While there, the OIC delegation will establish channels of communication with the UN Office for future cooperation between them.

Meanwhile, the delegation will also take cognizance of the latest developments on the tense situation on the borders between Djibouti and Eritria and will hold bilateral meetings with officials in Djibouti on this and other issues of concern. The OIC Secretary General has been following the developments on the borders since February 2008 and the efforts made by the Djibouti to resolve the tension between the two countries through peaceful means. Prof. Ihsanoglu has stressed on the need for the two countries to observe principles of good neighborhood, integrity of their borders established since independence, unity and territorial integrity as well as the need for deepening Islamo-African cooperation.