Gul leaves for Saudi Arabia

President Abdullah Gul yesterday left for Saudi Arabia to attend an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Mecca. Speaking to reporters at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Gul said that the summit would focus on the situation in Syria and the impacts of the crisis on regional and international peace and security. In response to a question as to the possibility of the suspension of Syria’s membership in the OIC, Gul said that people were being killed before the eyes of the world and cities and towns are being destroyed, demolished and burnt down, adding that this bloodshed and destruction must be ceased and a transition process must be put into practice without delay in Syria. Reiterating that the Syrian membership in the Arab League was suspended, Gul said that it might be exposed to the same in the OIC as well. In regard to abduction of Huseyin Aygun from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Gul said that it was a very serious incident. "Lawmakers represent not only their provinces, but also Turkey, therefore it was an attack against the national will," Gul added.