Posted on 06/16/2004 9:10:15 AM PDT by playball0
57 Islamic nations back new Iraqi government Conference endorsement good news for U.S.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISTANBUL, Turkey — The world's largest Islamic organization pledged today to "actively help" Iraq in its transition to sovereignty and democracy, support seen as key to boosting the stature of the U.S.-backed Iraqi interim government.
The 57-country Organization of the Islamic Conference, wrapping up a three-day foreign ministers' meeting in Istanbul, also called on the international community to give priority to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict and said Islamic countries will work to promote reform and development.
The Istanbul Declaration was adopted at the closing session of the three-day conference.
The declaration announced its support "for steps toward ending the occupation of Iraq." It supports the process of the transfer of authority to the Iraqis and stresses that the transfer of authority "must be full."
The OIC also "decided to help Iraq actively in the transition process and work to fulfil its needs," it added.
The declaration did not elaborate. But it was unlikely that peacekeeping troops to help the U.S.-led forces would be offered, and such help would probably be political and economic. Most OIC countries opposed the U.S.-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein last year.
The support from the OIC and bordering states was seen as likely to help the interim Iraqi government as it seeks to establish its own legitimacy and distance itself from the disbanded Iraqi Governing Council, which had been branded a U.S. creation.
That is crucial as the insurgency in Iraq has turned increasingly violent ahead of the planned June 30 handover of power to the interim government. Iraqi officials co-operating with the Americans have frequently been targets of the violence.
The Istanbul declaration welcomed last week's UN resolution on Iraq, which endorsed the transfer of sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupation and authorized a multinational force in that country.
It said the political process should result "in an elected government that is fully comprehensive and transparent."
"This organization cannot ignore Iraq. We believe that Islamic countries need to be more active," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said later at a news conference.
The declaration also condemned terrorism and "agreed to double our efforts to fight this scourge."
Seethe and then slither.
"...Most OIC countries opposed the U.S.-led war that ousted Saddam Hussein last year."
Of course they did. He's their kind of evil.
BUMP
This is from the Toronto Star.
We should start a pool to guess on which "back page" the U.S. papers of record will reveal this story.
Let's see. Some math: Two times nothing = nothing.
If any of you mooselimb space scientists can point to any of your efforts to defeat terrorism, please do so.
Kerry as is his usual way will lie about this or ignore it.
They did the talking part, now lets see action.
Ok, I just learned something. There are 57 Islamic nations?
BUt when will George Bush admit his unilateral cowboy foreign policy is a disaster? Huh? huh?
Well, maybe. But what is sure is that they don't want to be next. Time to realize that extremism will get them dead.
And in the bleedin' UN, the vote of any one of them carries just as much weight as the vote of Israel, the US, the UK, Australia, Poland, or Japan.
And .. did you hear the DNC has cancelled the Clinton book signing during the dem convention in Boston ..??
If the Clintons are willing to give that up .. there must be something to the rumor that Hillary may be the VP. Interesting?
But.....how does Kerry spin this as "going it alone?"
Tune in to Blather, Pitard and Brokedick tonight for this as the lead story....
NOT!
Each with equal votes in the UN.
They're not all Arab. Many are in the Far EastIndonesia is the largest) and Africa.
Soon it will be 58, when France joins.LOL!
bump
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