OIC calls for global action against Israel

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called for the setting up of a group of legal experts to bring to justice Israeli officials who were responsible for the attack on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla last Monday in which nine peace activists were killed and several others wounded. Following an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee, the organization's Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said Israel was given a stern warning that its attack on the Freedom Flotilla was going to have far-reaching consequences. The incident has isolated the Zionist state from the international community, which has united in condemning Israeli aggression, he said. Addressing a press conference after the meeting at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, the OIC chief described Israels action as a form of state terrorism and piracy, which warrants the prosecution of those who planned and executed it. Flanked by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki at the press conference, he invited OIC Ambassadorial Groups in New York and Geneva to work for the adoption of an international stand condemning this odious crime and the lifting of the lawless blockade on the Gaza Strip. He paid special tributes to Turkey for its sacrifices and extended condolences to the families of those killed on the aid ship. The meeting agreed that it was no longer a conflict between Israel and Palestine, rather it was Israel versus 32 countries whose citizens were on board the aid flotilla and who were of all faiths and backgrounds. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of France and Britain said an international inquiry was necessary to resolve the dispute over Israel's deadly raid on Gaza aid ships, after talks in the French capital. We think it is very important that there is a credible and transparent investigation... there should be an international presence at minimum in the probe, said British Foreign Secretary William Hague at a press conference with his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner.