Madani Resigns As OIC Sec-Gen

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General, Iyad Amin Madani, has resigned from the post on Monday, the Islamic bloc said on its website. The OIC General-Secretariat in a statement Monday said Madani, 70, resigned for health reasons. According to reports, the decision came days after Madani was criticised by Egypt for his mocking tone of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at a recent conference in Tunisia. The secretary-general has since apologised for his remarks, saying they were only made "in jest" and not to offense the president, reports said. Madani, a former Saudi Arabian minister was elected as the 10th OIC secretary-general in 2014, replacing Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu from Turkey. According to the OIC website, the secretary general is elected by the Council of Foreign Ministers for a period of five years, and renewable only once. The secretary-general is elected from among nationals of the Member States in accordance with the principles of equitable geographical distribution, rotation and equal opportunity for all Member States with due consideration to competence, integrity and experience. The responsibilities of an OIC secretary-general include coordinating the work of the organisation's relevant organs, preparing programmes and budget of the general secretariat, and providing Member States with working papers and memoranda for the implementation of decisions, resolutions and recommendations of Islamic Summits and the Council of Foreign Ministers. -- BERNAMA