Ihsanoglu Praises Qatar's Role in Bridging Islam and the West

Doha, May 30 (QNA) - Secretary-General of the Jeddah-Based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has expressed the OIC's appreciation for the great role played by the State of Qatar for enhancing opportunities for rapprochement between the Islamic world and the West in general, and with the United States in particular. Ihsanoglu said in an exclusive interview to Qatar News Agency (QNA) on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the ninth session of the 9th US-Islamic World Forum which HE Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani inaugurated earlier Tuesday at the Ritz Carlton , that this forum is an opportunity to discuss a very important topic, which is how to strengthen relations between America and the Muslim world, especially in light of the new challenges facing the two sides. Ihsanoglu said that US relations with the Muslim world are old and advanced and they have their ups and downs, and there are many of the key issues of concern to the Muslim world where US is expected to play a positive role, first and foremost, of course, the Palestinian cause. The OIC Secretary-General stressed the importance of avoiding extremism on both sides, and rebuilding the relations on the basis of tolerance and co-existence. On the Syrian Crisis, Ihsanoglu said that OIC has condemned the bloodshed and the killing of civilians and called on the UN Security Council to take the needful measures in order to spare the lives of the Syrian people. (QNA)