The situation in the former Yugoslav republic of Bosnia Herzegovenia dominated proceedings at the seventh summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), held in Casablanca from 13-14 December. Representatives of the 52-member organisation concluded the meeting with approval of a resolution calling for the lifting of the arms embargo and for UN peacekeepers to remain in place.

The civil war in Bosnia provided Muslim leaders with a rare opportunity to unite behind a common cause. At the closing session, Bosnian President Izetbegovic called for more aid, arms and diplomatic support. 'The help that we are receiving from Moslem countries is significant but insufficient,' he said. 'We need decisive political support from all the Muslim countries for a just peace, if possible, or a just war if inevitable.'

The OIC resolution on Bosnia repeated the offer to strengthen the UN Protection Force (Unprofor) with more Muslim troops and called for a special session of the UN assembly, if the security council did not take appropriate action to limit Serbian aggression. The Islamic contact group on Bosnia also accepted an invitation from Germany, the current EU president, to attend a meeting in Geneva with representatives from Britain, France, Germany the US and Russia as soon as possible.

Apart from Bosnia, the two-day summit debated Islam's image in the world, the situation in Kashmir and the Afghan civil war. At the opening session, Morocco's King Hassan called for an Islamic equivalent of the Vatican to end doctrinal disputes and counter fundamentalist heresies.

The final communique, issued on 15 December, welcomed Iraq's recognition of Kuwait, but called for Baghdad to comply with all UN security council passed since August 1990. It also made no mention of Jordan's supervisory role over the Islamic shrines in Jerusalem, which Amman wanted included.