Islamic countries, following a meeting held on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Jakarta, broadcasted signals, not amounting to a threat, about the possibility of considering the use of oil as a means to prevent the strike against Iraq. However, the informal consultative meeting among the heads of delegations of the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), comprising 48 nations, witnessed significant disagreements during discussions on the Iraq issue. Syria presented a “solo performance,” as described by sources, going to the extent of casting doubt that the upcoming Islamic summit in Doha would turn into a “cover for war,” while Qatar avoided commenting.
In addition to the “timid hint” at using oil as a weapon, according to observers, Islamic countries threw their weight behind the French-German initiative to avoid war.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad announced that the consultative summit of Islamic countries that are members of the Non-Aligned Movement discussed the issues of Palestine and the potential aggression against Iraq. In a press conference held in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Mahathir stated that the summit took some measures to curb U.S. aggression. Among these measures:
First: Empowering the participants in the summit to authorize the Malaysian Prime Minister, as the head of the Non-Aligned Movement, to write a letter to the UN Security Council, emphasizing the need to resolve the Iraqi crisis through dialogue and giving inspectors a chance.
Second: The 48 participating countries agreed to establish contacts with European countries opposed to war, such as Germany, France, and Russia, in an attempt to influence the United States.
Third: The consultative meeting discussed a set of proposals that could impact the official position, including studying the possibility of using oil as a weapon. This means that no decision has been made, but the idea is open for consideration.
It’s worth noting that the 48 participating countries in the consultative meeting will also participate in the Islamic summit hosted by Qatar from March 4 to 5 in Doha, with the exception of two countries, one of them being Iraq. The Doha Islamic summit will address the issues of Palestine and Iraq.
On the sidelines of the consultative meeting of Islamic countries, sources told “Al-Bayan” in Kuala Lumpur that Syria took a strict stance during the meeting, ensuring that the Doha summit does not turn into a cover for war against Iraq.
The sources added that Abdul Halim Khaddam, the Syrian Vice President, warned against using the Doha summit as a cover for war. Khaddam stated that the summit is supposed to send human shields to Iraq against the war, which is unexpected. He added that the summit could have decided to send forces and military support to Iraq, but this will not happen either. Finally, the summit could send funds to support Iraq, but this is also unlikely.
The sources mentioned that “Qataris and Saudis did not comment on Khaddam’s remarks during the meeting despite his firm stance.” Kuala Lumpur
