The Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has held a bilateral meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice in New York. During the meeting on September 27, Ihsanoglu conveyed to Rice his appreciation for the recent positive developments in the relationship between the OIC and the US administration, since the initiative undertaken by President George W. Bush to appoint a special envoy to the OIC. The Secretary General also welcomed the intention of the US administration to accompany the OIC programs for development through cooperation on joint projects of socio-economic nature, mainly in the domain of health services, education and poverty alleviation. The Secretary General also briefed Rice on new trends governing OIC policies, based on the OIC Ten Year Program of Action (TYPOA) and the New OIC Charter in the domain of moderation and modernization, combating extremism and fanaticism, advocating democracy, good governance, rule of law and upholding and safeguarding human rights. Rice took note with appreciation, the new trends prevailing in the OIC, destined to usher the Muslim World towards a new era of genuine democracy, good governance, rule of law, human development, respect for human rights, prevalence of moderation and the rejection of violence and terrorism. She highlighted the increasing visibility and dynamism of the OIC General Secretariat under the leadership of the Secretary General Ihsanoglu and its positive contributions to the efforts to promote international peace and security as well as to foster tolerance and mutual understanding. --MORE
