By IINA
Dakar : Some 40-odd heads of state are attending the Islamic Summit in Dakar. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are among the world leaders addressing the Summit. Several heads of state and leaders of the OIC member countries arrived here yesterday and today. They included Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Sudan’s President Omar Al Bashir, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Some countries, including Malaysia and Pakistan will be represented by their foreign ministers. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, the outgoing chairman of OIC, and Pakistan President Musharraf are not attending the Summit. The OIC groups some of the planet’s richest countries, such as oil producers Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, with poor African nations who languish at the bottom of UN development rankings.
The agenda of the Summit includes opening ceremony, election of members of the Bureau, adoption of the Agenda and Work Program, report of Chairman of the 10th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference, reports of the Chairmen of the Committee of Al-Quds and the Standing Committees of COMCEC, COMIAC and COMSTECH. The leaders will also discuss OIC Ten-Year Program of Action (POA) and revision of the OIC Charter. There will also be a Pledging Session for Voluntary Contributions. The agenda also includes adoption of the Report of the Ministerial Meeting.