OIC Secretary General warns of 'scorched-earth policy' in Syria

Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that everyone in Syria should know that the scorched-earth policy has never been a guarantee for stability or a safety valve. It is rather a crack in the body of the nation and a deep wound which would take a long time to heal, especially at a time when the world today is shedding the toga of individualism, hegemony and oppression, and moving to the era of good governance, power rotation and participation. In his speech at the preparatory meeting of the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held on Monday in Mekkah, Ihsanoglu said that Syria is now experiencing the tragedies of a destructive war "which we have continuously and repeatedly warned against. It saddens us all that the country has entered a dark and endless tunnel; which can be considered as the expected result of ignoring the people’'s legitimate demands and aspirations." Regarding the city of Al-Quds Al Shareef, the OIC's Secretary General said "we are following up with great concern the serious and unprecedented developments which primarily target its Islamic identity and the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque," adding "the status of the city of Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque has been exposed to a true and direct danger. This exceptional development demands extraordinary international measures to confront these violations with the strongest deterrence before the situation deteriorates" On the other hand, Ihsanoglu expressed deep concern about the appalling conditions of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar whose members are denied citizenship rights and are considered stateless people, stressing that the situation requires a firm decision. He also noted that the OIC made serious efforts to unite organisations representing the Rohingya minority, managed to raise the international community's awareness on the real situation in Myanmar and held an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee which had a concrete impact at the international level. The Secretary General revealed that there is an agreement to be signed between the OIC and Myanmar government to open a humanitarian office there to facilitate the entry of aid to those affected people, calling on member States to hasten in providing assistance to the the OIC's humanitarian program, which worth up to $30 million, to help the Rohingya Muslims.