US Must Continue to Play Active Role; Says Ihsanoglu

Doha, June 10 (QNA) - The United States remains a vital partner for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and must continue to play an active role as the leading power in the world, a senior official of the key inter-governmental organisation said at the 10th US-Islamic World Forum in Doha. OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu also urged US President Barack Obama to exercise "determined leadership" to fulfill his call for better relations with the Muslim world. Recent history reminds us that allowing problems to remain unsolved does not help maintain peace and security in the world; Palestine is a good example of this, he said on the opening day of the three-day Forum which is being held under the theme 'A decade of dialogue' and is a Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World in partnership with Qatar. Ihsanoglu said the Palestinian issue remains at the heart of the most pressing concerns of the OIC and the international community. Referring to Obama's famous June 2009 statement in Cairo and 2010 speech at the UN General Assembly. President Obama has raised expectations among the entire Muslim world for the long awaited establishment of a Palestinian state, he said. The recent General Assembly's recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state constitutes a timely and crucial opportunity to give renewed momentum to the currently deadlocked peace process, he said. The US-Islamic World Forum brings together leaders from politics, business, media, academia, and civil society from across the Islamic world including Muslim communities in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and the United States. The forum seeks to serve as both a convening body and catalyst for positive action. (QNA)