Gul addresses OIC summit

Speaking at yesterday's 4th Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca, Gul said that the current administration in Syria waged war against its own people and wielded heavy weapons, which claimed many lives.“Many beautiful cities in Syria are being destroyed and burnt down before our very eyes. We have done everything we can so that the transformation process can be adopted through peaceful methods. The Baath regime, however, responded with weapons to these efforts. What should be done from now on is that a transition process for the post-Assad regime in Syria should be administered without delay. The membership of Syria in the OIC should be suspended as well. If the ongoing armed clash were prolonged, the existing turmoil and disunity among the people would carry the feeling of vengeance to a point where it cannot be overcome,” Gul said. Gul also urged all the OIC members to display their resoluteness so that this process will not last any longer, pointing to the danger of a possible Sunni-Shiite clash. Furthermore, Gul touched on the ongoing incidents in Palestine, Mali and Myanmar and suggested that the 13th OIC Summit is held in Turkey. On the sidelines of the summit, Gul also held separate meetings with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. During his tete-a-tete with Morsi, Gul said that Turkey was standing in solidarity with Egypt in its transition process. Gul added that relations between Turkey and Egypt were vitally important and Turkey was also ready to help Egypt with regard to economic issues. For his part, Morsi said that his country's relations with Turkey would become stronger and more comprehensive, and invited Gul to visit his country in December. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also present during the bilateral talks between the Presidents.