Islamic summit slams Hezbollah for ‘terrorism’
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 15 April 2016
Most states in an Islamic summit on Friday denounced Lebanon’s Shiite group Hezbollah for spreading “terrorism” and for destabilizing the national security of its member countries: Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and Kuwait. This week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted the summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), comprised of 57 member states. Over 30 leaders attended the summit, including the Saudi king and Iranian president.
OIC, however, did not officially blacklist Hezbollah nor circulate its final communique when it condemned the Lebanese group. Hezbollah has long been a key ally to Iran, who are key backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The statement comes after Saudi King Salman made important trips to both Egypt and later Turkey to improve and consolidate the kingdom’s ties with the two. King Salman visits to Ankara showed a visible improvement ties between Turkey and Saudi Arabia since his inauguration as king in 2015.
Salman Dosri, an analyst, told Al Arabiya News Channel that it is “first time” that the summit denounces an Iranian proxy of such sort. He said Turkey is further consolidating its ties with Saudi since both “share the same outlook on Syria.”The host Turkey saw the summit as a chance to shore up its prestige in the Islamic world where Erdogan has made it his mission at the meeting to bring the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims closer together.
He reaffirmed his call for unity at an official dinner late Thursday in the Dolmabahce Palace by the Bosphorus, where the late Ottoman Sultans ruled a decaying empire of Muslim lands that once stretched from from the Balkans to Arabia. “At this summit, our biggest expectation is for Islamic countries throughout the world to give a message of unity and togetherness to all Muslims,” Erdogan told leaders beneath the dome of the vast Muayede Salon, the ceremonial hall where the Sultan would receive visitors.
“Our aim is to give the whole Islamic family hope in the future. God willing, with this summit, a new era will begin for all of us.”“Of course the problems in front of us are big. We are going through a tough period. But we should never lose hope,” he added. (With AFP)
