CAIRO, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) — The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) opened its 5th parliamentary union session here Wednesday, calling for unifying ranks to confront challenges ahead.
It is necessary to unify efforts of Islamic nations to confront malicious campaigns against Islam and Muslims and challenges ahead, said Turkish parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan, while addressing the inaugural session as the chairman of the 4th session.
He stressed that it is important to solve problems especially the Palestinian crisis.
Toptan handed over the 5th session chairmanship to Egypt’s People’s Assembly Speaker Ahmed Fathi Sorour, before Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif read a written speech by President Hosni Mubarak.
In the address, Mubarak also urged the Islamic nations to unify their ranks and speak with one voice in defending their entity, interests and causes.
“The Islamic world is not an easy prey and will not remain a target,” Mubarak said, adding unifying ranks is the only way to confront challenges.
The Egyptian president stressed that reaching a just settlement in the Middle East is being sought in order to restore the rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
He called for promoting cooperation among the Islamic nations for a better future for the people all over the world.
Sorour also spoke at the opening session, saying there should be a new language for democratic dialogue among the Islamic states which promotes the culture of consultations and understanding on fatal issues.
“The conference’s agenda includes issues the Islamic nation is facing particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Palestinian cause, the situation in Iraq, terror and malicious attempts to mar the image of Islam in the West,” he said.