Military

DATE=11/11/00

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=ISLAMIC / ISRAEL (L-ONLY)

NUMBER=2-269108

BYLINE=DALE GAVLAK

DATELINE=CAIRO

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Leaders from the world's 1-point-2 billion Muslims are arriving in the Gulf state of Qatar for a three-day Islamic summit. They are expected to endorse a draft resolution urging Muslim states to cut ties with Israel for what they call its war crimes against Palestinians. Dale Gavlak reports from Cairo.

TEXT: Security is tight in the Qatari capital of Doha as the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit prepares to get under way

on Sunday.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was the first Arab leader to arrive for the O-I-C meeting. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, Iranian President Mohamed Khatami and Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflicka are among the other leaders expected to attend.

On Friday, foreign ministers representing the 56-member group approved a draft resolution urging the O-I-C to conduct a total boycott and sever all links with Israel.

They said it was a compromise between radical demands from Syria and Iran for immediate action against Israel and moderate calls from Egypt arguing against a total break with the Jewish state.

However, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa added that Cairo would advocate gradual punishment against Israel that could eventually lead to a break in ties.

Palestinian Minister for International Cooperation Nabil Shaath says the draft resolution reflects the sentiment of all Muslim countries about what he calls the enormity of Israel's military aggression against the

Palestinians.

At least one-hundred ninety-six people, most of them Palestinians, have been killed in six weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

The draft also urges Washington to take what it called a "humanitarian and honest stance" against Israel's bloody aggression. It asks the United States to shoulder its responsibility to stop the violence.

The Muslim foreign ministers agreed to set up a committee to lobby the five permanent members of the U-N Security Council to create a United Nations force to protect Palestinians against what they say is excessive Israeli force.

Meanwhile, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman and Qatar have all obeyed last month's Arab summit resolutions in Cairo calling for an end to commercial and

representative links with Israel.

Delegates also said Mauritania was now under scrutiny. The North African state set up full ambassadorial relations with Israel last year.

The O-I-C summit was saved from collapse after host Qatar bowed to pressure to close Israel's trade office in Doha. The decision paved the

way for the attendance of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Those two countries had earlier refused to come to Qatar unless it cut its ties with the Jewish

state.

Bahrain is the only Muslim country so far not expected to be represented at the summit. It has a long-standing territorial dispute with Qatar

And, for that reason, refuses to come to Doha. (Signed)

NEB/DG/ALW/PLM