Jeddah–The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for holding an emergency Islamic Summit to discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria, in particular in the city of Aleppo.

During an extraordinary session of the OIC at the delegates’ level on Sunday, participants urged Islamic nations to hold a summit to unify efforts to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

“An immediate cessation of hostilities, including bombing, slaughtering, and sabotage carried out by the Syrian regime and its allies must be effected and an immediate truce approved to allow humanitarian relief convoys to deliver food materials and medicines to the population in the besieged areas in Aleppo and other Syrian cities and villages,” Iyad Ameen Madani, OIC Secretary General, said at the opening session.

He also reiterated calls on the international community and the active States “to put pressure on the Syrian regime and compel it to accept a political solution to the Syrian crisis within the framework of relevant UNSC resolutions.”

A statement issued at the outset of the session, which was chaired by Kuwait’s Permanent Delegate to the OIC, Wael Al-Enezi, decried “the brutal forms of warfare” taking place in Syria, adding that the Syrian regime and its allies should be held accountable for these aggressions.

The statement also stressed the United Nations’ responsibility to ensure that peace and security are restored in Syria, highlighting the need for a sustainable solution in the war-torn country.

Participants also urged Islamic leaders to convene in an emergency summit to unify efforts to end the Syrian people’s sufferings.