The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) has called for translating the promises of the peace process most recently expressed at a major meeting in Annapolis, Maryland into action to achieve a Palestinian state for settling the Middle East conflict. "We hope the Annapolis meeting will be the beginning of the end of the tragedy of Palestine and the dawn of peace in the Holy land," Ambassador Munir Akram told the U.N. General Assembly while speaking on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), according to a message received in Islamabad. Speaking in the debate on the Middle East question, he said the Islamic countries had participated in the Annapolis conference at the invitation of the United States to signal their commitment to peace between Israel and Palestine. They welcomed the commitment to start final status negotiations, which, in turn, should be resolved on the basis of previous agreements, resolutions, the principle of land for peace, the Madrid Peace Conference terms of reference, the Road Map and the Arab Peace Initiative, he said. Akram said that would entail Israeli withdrawal from Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. A peace agreement reached through forthcoming negotiations should then be supplemented by appropriate mechanisms for their full implementation by all sides, and the Security Council and the General Assembly should play their rightful role in that regard. --MORE
