OIC Chief assured of British-Russian efforts to end bloodletting

Jeddah, February 09, SPA -- The Secretary General of the Organization
of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu,
received messages from both Dr. Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister
of the Russian Federation and Bill Rammell, the British Minister of
State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.


In his message, the Russian minister emphasized that his country has
moved strenuously to put an end to the bloodletting in the Gaza Strip
by conducting direct contacts with the various parties in the region
and the world, including the international Quartet and the UN
Security Council. Russia has also dispatched two shipments of
emergency aid, along with a number of Russian pediatricians, to the
Gaza Strip, according to a press release issued by the OIC in Jeddah
yesterday.


Minister Lavrov pointed out that the key priority for Moscow is
putting an immediate end to the tragedy facing the civilian
population in Gaza, consolidating the cease-fire, lifting the
blockade imposed on Gaza, and ensuring that violence does not erupt
again in the future. He explained that these events are hampering the
peace process, which requires deploying further efforts to resume the
negotiations for the establishment of an independent and viable
Palestinian state.


Additionally, the Russian minister indicated that Muslim countries
should have the confidence that Russia will continue making every
effort to move forward towards achieving a just and long-lasting
peace in the Middle East. In this regard, he referred to the
international conference to be hosted in Moscow during the first half
of 2009 with the objective of pushing the Middle East process peace
forward.


For his part, British minister Bill Rammell, stated in his message
to the OIC Secretary General that the UK welcomes the cease-fire in
Gaza, pointing to the role the British Foreign Secretary played
during the negotiations that led to the passing on January 08, 2009
of UN Security Council Resolution 1860.


He affirmed that the ceasefire is, however, still fragile, and that
the focus needs to be on the access for humanitarian aid and on
reconstruction process as well as on securing the conditions
necessary for the consolidation of the cease-fire.


The British minister added that the British government believes that
the European Union should continue to put its weight behind efforts
to move forward the peace process in the Middle East and establish a
Palestinian state alongside Israel.


He pointed out that the UK has pledged since the start of the
conflict in Gaza to provide aid worth £27 million.


Earlier, Professor Ihsanoglu has sent messages to various
international organizations and governments, urging them to take
immediate action to put an end to the Israeli assault on the Gaza
Strip and provide protection to the Palestinian people against the
oppression of the Israeli military machine.

--SPA


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