The Foreign Ministers of member states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), meeting in Jakarta for their 24th convention, have called upon OIC members to promote solidarity with the Palestinian people and extend support to the Palestinian Authority in order to effect Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories including Jerusalem. They also reiterated the importance of implementingf all agreements signed by the concerned parties in line with the principles of the Madrid Peace Talks, the land-for-peace formula, and UN Resolutions 242, 338 and 425, adding that Jerusalem is an indivisible part of the occupied Palestinian territories. The Islamic Foreign Ministers deplored the excavation works around the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and condemned the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon, underlining the importance of the implementation of the 1987 UN Resolution 425 in this respect.

Under review by the convention were a number of other Islamic issues, including the recent developments in Somalia and Afghanistan as well as problems of Muslim minorities in various parts of the world.

Meanwhile, yesterday former Moroccan Prime Minister Izzadine Laraki was named the OIC's new Secretary-General. Laraki, 67, the sole candidate for the post, succeeds Dr. Hamid Al-Ghabid, who had served two four-year terms. Dr. Al-Ghabid described his successor as "an excellent Islamic figure', and underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation among the member states of the organization.

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