The meeting of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's biggest Muslim political group, underscores "the importance of demonstrating the Islamic world's collective concern for this great human tragedy,'' said OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

Ihsanoglu said the one-day meeting, scheduled for Thursday, is expected to be attended by Muslim presidents, mainly from the OIC executive committee, which comprises Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Senegal, Yemen, Turkey and Azerbaijan. A Malaysian Foreign Ministry official said that it's still not clear how many leaders will attend the summit, but noted that up to 30 Muslim states expressed their willingness to participate.

Regional officials have previously said that Iran, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan were expected to send high-level delegates to the meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital. The conference is being planned amid mounting international calls for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

International pressure intensified on Israel after an air strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qana killed more than 56 Lebanese civilians, mostly women and children. The Qana massacre brought the Lebanese death toll to 750 people, mostly women and children, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The brutal Israeli assault also displaced more than 750,000 people and left much of Lebanon's infrastructure in ruins. About 51 Israelis, mostly soldiers, died in the fighting that began nearly three weeks ago. 

Source: IslanOnline.net