The Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that Somalia, today, has reached a critical turning point. In an address at the Second Istanbul Conference on Somalia which was held in Istanbul yesterday, Prof. Ihsanoglu commended the steadfastness and resolve of the Somali stakeholders led by the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) with the support of its international partners for their perseverance which has led to the attainment of significant milestones like the Kampala Accord, the adoption of the Roadmap, the Garowe I and II Principles, the London Conference as well as the Representative Constitutional Assembly convened recently in Mogadishu. Ihsanoglu reiterated OIC's stated position that there should be no further extension of the transitional period, and stressed that the August deadline is realistic and must therefore be sacrosanct. --MORE
