Putrajaya (Malaysia), Oct 14: Even as the US put forward its own agenda on Iraq at the United Nations, leaders of the Muslim world stressed on a central role for the world body and a "clear timetable" for withdrawal of us forces from the Arab nation. "The UN should be the one that supervises, undertakes the whole exercise and it would be easier for it to have international legitimacy," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hanid Albar told reporters on the second day of foreign ministers' meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries.
As they worked on draft resolutions to be endorsed during the two day summit beginning Thursday, there were reports that the resolution on Iraq would call for a "defined and clear timetable" for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
"The United Nations should play a central role in Iraq, covering all aspects of transition: political, security and economic," a draft of the resolution said.
"In this regard (the OIC) calls upon the UN Security Council to take the necessary measures for setting a defined and clear timetable for the withdrawal of the occupying powers from Iraq as soon as possible."
Bureau Report