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OIC Foreign Ministers to Meet in Mecca in the Presence of Iran | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Arif Hudaverdi Yaman/Pool


Jedda – Foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states will hold an emergency meeting in Mecca on Thursday to discuss the attack launched by Houthi militias and allies of ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh against holy sites in the Kingdom.

The organization has sent official invitations to all member states, including Iran, which is expected to send a representative to the meeting.

Maha Akil, OIC’s media officer, said that official invitations were sent to all OIC member states on Sunday, adding that it was difficult to guess which countries would attend and which states would not, as some delegations do not confirm their presence until the last minute.

She added that the organization seeks to work with all Islamic States to achieve the full realization of rights, adding that Thursday’s meeting aims at unifying the Islamic stance against all forms of terrorism and violent attacks.

The meeting follows an earlier session held on Nov. 5 by the OIC’s executive committee, during which participants called on member states and the international community to take serious and effective steps to prevent the recurrence of such attacks in the future and called for holding accountable all those who smuggle weapons, provide training and continue to support the Yemeni insurgents.

Political experts said that the majority of Islamic States will ask Iran to stop its support to all armed militias in the Arab and Islamic world, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and to abide in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216, the implementation mechanism of the Gulf Initiative and the outcome of Yemen’s national dialogue.

Last month, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a ballistic missile some 65 kilometers from Mecca, noting that the missile had been fired from Yemen by Houthi rebels.

Thursday’s ministerial meeting comes upon a recommendation by the executive committee to hold an emergency meeting of foreign ministers of member states in Mecca to discuss the attack and its repercussions.