OIC Meeting to begin in Istanbul / Turkey

The meeting’s agenda includes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the issues of Iraq and Cyprus, international terrorism and the US-proposed Greater Middle East Initiative (GME). Among the many items to be discussed during the meeting, two are of special importance to Turkey: the election of a new OIC secretary-general and efforts to end the international isolation of the Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The three-day meeting is set to begin with a speech by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer. In related news, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul yesterday held bilateral meetings with his Lebanese, Syrian and Malaysian counterparts as well as outgoing OIC Secretary-General Abdulvahid Belkeziz.