SANAA, June 30: Muslim states promised more assistance for Iraq on Thursday, but baulked at the outright condemnation of ‘terrorism’ requested by its under-fire government.

A final statement issued after a three-day meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference insisted on a right of ‘legitimate resistance against occupation’.

“Ministers affirmed their decision to offer all sorts of support to the Iraqi interim government to write a constitution, as well as achieve security and stability,” the statement said.

But it added the rider that the support was aimed at helping Iraq ‘achieve sovereignty and end occupation’.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al Kurbi, whose country hosted the meeting, said his counterparts also ‘called upon all Iraqis to unite in order to end occupation’.

The statement condemned ‘all aspects of terrorism’, but insisted on ‘differentiating between terrorism and legitimate resistance against occupation’.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari had called on Muslim governments to ‘condemn explicitly acts of terrorism in Iraq’.

He hit out at the OIC’s approach to his country’s continued instability more than two years after the US-led invasion, and called for unambiguous support in the face of the persistent attacks on US-led forces.

“There is a case of carelessness in the organization’s attitude towards Iraq,” Mr Zebari told reporters.

He complained that member states did not have a clear position on his government.

Ministers agreed to set up committees to consider proposals for reform of the OIC, originally established in 1969 to try to preserve the Islamic character of occupied Al Quds, but now with a much broader brief.

The panels would ‘revisit the organization’s convention to allow for reforms’, Mr Kurbi said.

Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey hailed a ‘turning point in the history of the organization, in terms of heading towards reforming it’.

Ministers also agreed to set up a new fund to tackle tsunami-like natural disasters, Mr Kurbi said, without giving any figures.

OIC spokesman Ataa Bekheit had told reporters on Wednesday that contributions by member states would be voluntary, adding that a telethon would be organized during Ramazan to bring in private donations from around the Muslim world. —AFP