JEDDAH: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation will hold an urgent meeting of the foreign ministers of OIC member states in Makkah on Thursday.
The meeting will discuss the Houthi militia’s attempt to attack Makkah by launching a ballistic missile in October.
The first emergency ministerial meeting was held in Jeddah by the OIC executive committee on Nov. 5, which discussed the launching of the missile by the Houthi-Saleh militias targeting Makkah.
It condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi rebels, backed by the militias of deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh, for targeting the holy city with a ballistic missile.
The OIC members were urged to act against those supporting the culprits with arms and consider “an infringement of the Kingdom’s security an infringement of the security and cohesion of the Muslim world as a whole.”
The first meeting affirmed that those backing the Houthi-Saleh militias and supplying them with ballistic missiles and weapons are devoted accomplices in aggression against the holy sites of the Muslim world.
Maha Aqeel, media and public relation director at the OIC, told Arab News that the urgent meeting of foreign ministers will be held in Makkah, the city that was targeted by the Houthis.
The place of the meeting was selected to highlight the religious standing of Makkah among all Muslims.
Saudi ground defenses intercepted late on Oct. 27 a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militias targeting Makkah. The Arab coalition said that the missile was downed 65 km from Makkah, adding that coalition jet fighters attacked the rocket launchers in Saada and destroyed them.
OIC plans second meeting on Makkah attack
OIC plans second meeting on Makkah attack
GCC secretary general receives China’s special envoy to Middle East
- Jun praised the GCC states’ prudent domestic, regional, and international policies, which have established the council as a reliable and important partner for China
RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi received China’s special envoy for the Middle East Issue, Zhai Jun, at the General Secretariat headquarters in Riyadh on Sunday.
During the meeting, Al-Budaiwi expressed appreciation for China’s condemnation of Iranian attacks on GCC states and for Beijing’s efforts with all parties to halt the conflict and end the escalation, according to a General Secretariat statement.
Jun praised the GCC states’ prudent domestic, regional, and international policies, which have established the council as a reliable and important partner for China. He added that the GCC’s commitment to restraint during the crisis reflects these policies.
The meeting also reviewed preparations for the upcoming China-GCC summit later this year and discussed progress in negotiations toward a free trade agreement between the two sides.
