Syrian FM Boycotts OIC Congress In Saudi Arabia

The Syrian daily Al-Watan reports that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Mu'alem boycotted the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sending instead his deputy Faisal Al-Miqdad. Al-Mu'alem's move comes against the backdrop of the crisis in Syrian-Saudi relations, and because of Saudi Arabia's rejection of Syria's initiative to restore diplomatic relations following the election of a president in Lebanon, which Saudi Arabia had in the past set as a condition for improving relations. Source: Al-Watan, Syria, August... [read full story]