Doha, Mar 05: Embattled Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat added his voice today to calls for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis in a recorded video message to an emergency Islamic summit. "We support all regional and international efforts to reach a peaceful solution within the framework of the United Nations," Arafat told the one-day gathering of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Qatar.
He explained at length the deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territories and accused the Israeli government of "seeking to torpedo the peace process."
Arafat called on the summit, which represents more than one billion Muslims, "to step up their material and political support" to the Palestinians.
He urged the 57 OIC members to work with the broader international community "to put an end to the destructive war against the Palestinian people and their leaders and to relaunch the search for peace."
The summit was to review the Palestinian issue and Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamas bin Khalifa al-Thani voiced "alarm" at the worsening situation in the territories and regretted Arafat`s absence.
Bureau Report