JEDDAH: The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Saturday it will convene an emergency meeting at its Saudi headquarters next week to urge Syria to "end the bloodshed." The ministerial meeting planned for Nov. 26 has been called to "urge the Syrian authorities to stop the bloodshed, the targeting of civilians, and to encourage the implementation of political reform," an OIC statement said. The gathering of OIC executive committee representatives, which includes Djibouti, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Tajikistan, will also urge dialogue between Syria's authorities and the opposition. The announcement came just days after the OIC head Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu warned of the possible internationalization of the Syrian crisis if Damascus fails to comply with calls for reform and end the violence. According to United Nations figures, the deadly crackdown on dissent by President Bashar Al-Assad's regime has left more than 3,500 people dead in eight months. Ihsanoglu reiterated in Saturday's statement that the pan-Islamic 57-nation group "rejects foreign intervention" in Syria, adding that further violence will probably "threaten the peace, security, and stability of the... region." The OIC announcement came just hours before the expiry of an Arab League deadline for Damascus to stop its crackdown and a day after at least 15 civilians, including two children, were killed by Syrian security forces.
