OIC calls for end to forced exodus of Kosovars

Secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC/based in Jeddah), Azzedine Laraki, called for an end to the forced exodus of Kosovars and for additional assistance to the refugees.

In a message to the meeting held Sunday in Jeddah of the OIC top officials, Laraki called the international community to intensify assistance to the Kosovar refugees and to make more "earnest" efforts with the United Nations and the Security Council to end their forced exodus.

The OIC says the persons responsible for the atrocities in Kosovo should stand trial before an international court.

The OIC top officials are meeting in Jeddah to prepare for the 26th session of Islamic foreign ministers.

The pan-Islamic organization has dispatched a delegation of the OIC contact group on Kosovo to Moscow, led by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi.

The delegation, which is expected to meet this Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, comprises delegates from Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Senegal, Qatar, Senegal and Turkey. After Moscow, the delegation will undertake a similar mission in Germany and Italy.

The Iranian foreign minister held phone talks over the weekend with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fisher, over means to settle the crisis in Kosovo, said Iran's embassy in Moscow.