UNITED NATIONS, Feb 18: The envoys of Organisation of Islamic Conference on Friday resolved to raise the issue of the publication of blasphemous cartoons in the United Nations General Assembly and establish a common position on the issue to reflect the sentiments and reactions of Muslims around the world.

An extraordinary meeting of the OIC ambassadors was held to consider a proposal by Pakistan’s ambassador to UN, Munir Akram, to adopt a resolution to be tabled in the General Assembly to address the situation arising out of the publication of blasphemous cartoons.

As chairman of the Islamic Conference, Ambassador Abdullah Alsaidi of Yemen briefed the ambassadors on the meeting of the Group of Three Islamic Ambassadors with the UN Secretary General and the representatives of the European Union.

The meeting at that stage took up Pakistan’s previous proposal to press for amendments to the draft resolution on the newly created Human Rights Council to ensure a reference to promote universal respect for all religions and cultural values and prevent instances of intolerance, discrimination, incitement of hatred and violence arising from any action against religions, prophets and beliefs.

The Islamic Conference ambassadors expressed an overwhelming support for Pakistan’s proposal.

Approving the language proposed by Pakistan the meeting established a committee of five ambassadors including Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to UN, Munir Akram, besides the ambassadors of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Indonesia and Senegal to negotiate on behalf of the 56-member Islamic Conference with others.

The OIC group also agreed that no artificial deadline for the adoption of the Human Rights Council would be accepted unless a satisfactory agreement is reached on the issue of preventing intolerance against religions, which meets the concerns of the Islamic countries.

Our Correspondent from Jeddah adds: The OIC is in touch with member states, on the issue of convening an emergency meeting of foreign ministers’ to discuss and press a resolution on issue of sacrilegious cartoons’.

Secretary General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has already spoken to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakar Al-Qurbi and Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar to fix a date for the meeting, reports quoting diplomatic sources said.

According to reports the OIC Secretary-General was expected in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the proposal.

The meeting is significant in the backdrop of the continuing protests across the Islamic world over the blasphemous cartoons.

Prof Ihsanoglu has already informed Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, that the 57-member OIC was seeking the EU’s cooperation to end the conflict as quickly as possible. It has suggested a five-point proposal to the EU for the resolution of the issue.