The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reiterated its condemnation of the dreadful attack on the suburb of the Syrian capital Damascus with internationally-banned chemical weapons, inflicting a heavy loss of lives among civilians. The General Secretariat also stressed the need to hold the Syrian Government legally and morally accountable for this heinous crime and to bring its perpetrators to justice. It called on the Security Council to discharge its duty of preserving international security and stability, take a unified position against this monstrous crime and its perpetrators, and put an end to such violations, while reaffirming OIC's consistent position on the preservation of Syria's unity and stability. The General Secretariat indicated that this attack is a blatant affront to all religious and moral values and a deliberate disregard of international laws and norms, which requires a decisive action. It called for all forms of support to be extended to the Syrian people to defend themselves and for promoting international efforts to help them face these critical circumstances. The General Secretariat also indicated that the OIC Secretary General, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, is closely monitoring the latest developments of the situation in Syria on both the international and regional scenes. He stated that he remains convinced of the need to urgently work out a political solution to extricate Syria of this bloody crisis and restore peace and security in the country.
