http://www.boston.com/dailynews/273/world/Islamic_states_to_discuss_terr:.shtml

Islamic states to discuss terrorism at upcoming meeting

By Associated Press, 9/30/2001 14:07

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) Foreign ministers of 57 Islamic states will meet in Qatar next week to discuss terrorism, which they distinguish from the Palestinian struggle against Israel, an organizer said Sunday.

The Oct. 10 meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference was requested by Iran and Sudan, an official with the Jiddah-based organization told The Associated Press.

Middle East nations have condemned the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, but their leaders cautioned against a hasty U.S. retaliation against Afghanistan, whose Taliban rulers are harboring Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the attacks.

Qatar holds the OIC rotating presidency.

On Friday, the Taliban rulers said they, too, had asked for an OIC meeting to discuss the attacks in the United States and ''help in getting the culprits.'' The Taliban have refused to concede to the main U.S. demand to hand over bin Laden.

Afghanistan's seat in the OIC is vacant. Burhanuddin Rabbani, who is still recognized as Afghanistan's president by the United States and other Western powers and holds Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, represented Afghanistan at conference summits until 1996. Since then, both the Taliban and Rabbani have been invited as observers.

-- Anonymous, October 01, 2001