Malaysia on Thursday said the world's Muslim nations want a role in the West Asia peace process as the Organisation of Islamic Conference prepared to issue a declaration condemning Israeli strikes in Lebanon and call for an unconditional ceasefire in the region.
Chairing an emergency meeting of the OIC attended by 18 members, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said every member country in the 57-member grouping must play a proactive role in the Israel-Lebanon conflict and be prepared to contribute troops for UN peacekeeping operations.
"Malaysia is ready to do that," he said at the opening of the Meeting of Friends of the Chairman of the 10th Islamic Conference in Malaysia.
The one-day conference, attended by several heads of state & government and foreign ministers of 18 nations, is also expected to issue a declaration condemning Israel's attack on Lebanon and call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
The meeting is also expected to demand the inclusion of OIC member states should the UN decide to send a peacekeeping force to Lebanon. Speaking at the meeting, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the conflict must be halted "before the spiralling violence engulfs the entire region and kills the hope for a durable and just peace in the Middle East."
Egypt said no Arab country in west Asia supported Israeli attack in Lebanon, and instead wanted an immediate ceasefire as the conflict was killing innocent civilians.
Cairo wanted an international probe into "Israeli war crimes" and soldiers found guilty be charged in the International Criminal Court, Mufid Shehad, Egypt's Minister of State for Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, was quoted by 'Bernama' news agency as saying. Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Fawzi Salloukh expressed hope that "the voice of the Muslim world should be heard solemnly...in solidarity with the Lebanese people." Israel "will not be victorious," Salloukh said.
"They have destroyed our infrastructure, bridges, airports and seaports, but they cannot destroy our spirit," the Lebanese minister was quoted as saying.
Farrouk Kaddoumi, the Political Department Head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation told reporters that solid support was needed not only from Islamic nations but also the international community to stand against the attacks on Palestine and Lebanon.
Pakistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen are attending the meeting besides Malaysia.
About 100 Malaysian Muslim activists demonstrated outside the summit venue chanting anti-Israeli slogans and holding banners that read, 'Israelis are real terrorists' and 'Don't allow Muslims to be slaughtered'.