Faheem Al-Hamid and Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Faal Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The Islamic unity vision of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and his initiative to convene the Islamic solidarity summit in Makkah this week has come for all-round praise from Arab and Muslim leaders and officials. King Abdullah II of Jordan said King Abdullah's summit initiative comes in response to the complicated regional challenges and circumstances faced by several regional and Islamic countries. These challenges, he said, required coordination and integration of efforts so as to boost Islamic solidarity and find solutions to the issues facing the Ummah. In an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, the Jordanian leader said the timing of the summit indicates the wisdom and sagacity of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “It speaks volumes about his leadership and the respect he enjoys in the Arab and Islamic world. The summit stems from the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to unify and consolidate the Arab and Muslim ranks in these critical circumstances,” he said. Convening the summit in Makkah during the last ten days of the holy month of Ramadan, he said, will have a huge impact on efforts to unite the Ummah. “It is from Makkah that the message of Islam spread initially. And now from it a new start begins to unify the Ummah,” he said. The Jordanian leader lauded the strong brotherly relations between the Kingdom and Jordan in times of regional and international challenges and dangers. In another interview, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the emergency summit in Makkah “during this holy month is a genuine indication of King Abdullah's concern to find solutions to all the challenges faced by the Ummah. “It is now our collective responsibility to find permanent and viable solutions to the crises in Syria and Palestine. We should also find a way to alleviate the sufferings of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar,” Gul said.
Situation in Syria, he said, is getting worse by the day. “Bashar Al-Assad should listen to reason and stop his destruction machine that is burning the cities, killing unarmed civilians, displacing women and children and threatening his country's unity,” he said. The Syrian people have a right to self-determination with their own free will and the international community must stop the regime from continuing the suppression of the free will of the populace, he said. Meanwhile, foreign ministers of the Gulf countries Sunday discussed the modalities of the Makkah conference. Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, presided over the meeting which was also attended by Dr. Abdullateef Al-Zayani, GCC Secretary General. Al-Zayani said the meeting discussed a number of regional issues. Earlier, the Arab League postponed a meeting of Arab foreign ministers scheduled for Sunday to discuss the Syrian crisis and to select a replacement for Kofi Annan, the United Nations-Arab League envoy. The Arab League said it would set a new date for the meeting. Deputy Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Ben Helli said the meeting was delayed because of the minor operation undergone by Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. The Royal Court said Saturday that Prince Saud had undergone a successful operation to relieve an intestinal obstruction.
