Turkey Accuses Muslim World Body of Inaction on Egypt Unrest
Turkey's Islamic-rooted government on Monday accused the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its Turkish secretary general of remaining indifferent to the bloodshed in Egypt.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said he would have resigned as head of the OIC because "I couldn't accept the stance of an Islamic organization whose name carries the word Islam in the face of such brutality."
If the OIC's Turkish chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu "had made such a decision," to resign over its inaction in the face of the Egyptian military-backed government's deadly crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, "it would have had an impact," Bozdag said.
The 57-member OIC, based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is the world's top Islamic body.
Bozdag's comments came after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday lashed out at the international response to the violence in Egypt, saying organizations including the United Nations and the European Union should be ashamed of their inaction.
Turkey has hardened its tone towards Egypt's new authorities, recalling its ambassador to Cairo over the deadly crackdown last week, prompting a tit-for-tat move by Egypt.
Daily demonstrations in support of Egypt's ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi have since taken place in Turkey.
The two countries have also canceled joint naval exercises planned for October.
A government spokesman said Monday Turkey was not considering sending back its ambassador to Cairo.
"For now, there is no such possibility," spokesman Bulent Arinc told reporters after a cabinet meeting. "We'll evaluate this depending on the developments."
Source: Agence France Presse
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