"It is time for the Syrian regime to go," said President Mohamed Morsy during the closed session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's extraordinary summit, calling on Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran to cooperate to solve the Syrian crisis.
In the speech he delivered on Tuesday in Jeddah, Morsy said, "I am astonished by those oblivious to the Syrian crisis while blood keeps spilling in the holy month of Ramadan."
Morsy also said the Palestinian question is a priority for Egypt and the Arab and Islamic worlds, calling on Palestinians to unite to achieve national reconciliation.
Morsy advocated for a peaceful solution to ethnic violence surrounding Muslims in Myanmar and for helping Muslim minorities in other countries. He also welcomed the Saudi King's initiative to establish a center for Islamic dialogue in Riyadh.
Morsy added that the 25 January revolution calls for justice, equality and respect for human dignity, which are also Islamic principles.
Morsy shook hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when the two men met for the first time. The Iranian president has invited his Egyptian counterpart to participate in the Non-Aligned Movement summit to be held in Tehran at the end of August.
Morsy also met with the king of Bahrain on the sidelines of the summit, discussing ways to strengthen bilateral relations and to increase Bahraini investments in Egypt.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
