Canberra: A spokesman for a global Islamic group says the international community must rule out military intervention as a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, told the members of the National Press Club of Australia on Wednesday that he remains involved in "quiet diplomacy activities" with Syrian President Bashar Assad over the power struggle that has cost more than 5,000 lives in that Middle Eastern country.
Ihsanoglu, who was born in Egypt and lives in Turkey, says the lesson from conflicts in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia is that outside military interventions worsen the problems.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 11:33