Leaders of Moslem nations ended their two-day summit in Egypt yesterday, February 7, 2013.

The 12^th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, ended in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, yesterday, February 7, 2013 with leaders calling for a negotiated settlement of the Syrian crisis.

The 27 leaders and 29 representatives of Islamic States called for serious dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition, urging President Bashar Al Assad to respond positively to a surprise offer of talks by the leader of National Coalition, Ahmed Moaz Al Khatib. The summit’s final statement or "The Cairo Declaration," stressed the need to maintain Syria's territorial integrity and sovereignty, while calling for an end to continuing violence. Syria was not present at the summit after being suspended from the OIC last August. The Syrian opposition said it had not received an invitation.

The Cairo Summit also discussed the conflict in Mali where French forces intervened on January 11, 2013 to help the army halt an advance by militants on the capital, Bamako. The Islamic leaders discussed Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, a subject regularly brought up at OIC summits since the organisation's creation. The meeting gathered leaders of 27 of OIC's 57 States, with President Mohamed Mursi of Egypt's taking over the organisation's rotating presidency. It was the first OIC summit to be hosted by Egypt since the establishment of the organisation in 1969. Following an opening speech by Senegalese President, Macky Sall, President Mohamed Mursi addressed the audience.

Mursi stressed that the Moslem world was facing new and pressing challenges everyday, Ahram newspaper reported. The Egyptian leader described the resolution of the perennial Israel/Palestine issue as the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East. He went on to commend Palestine’s success in winning observer status at the United Nations last November, stressing that such an achievement could not have been realised without joint cooperation. Mursi also stressed the importance of promoting what he described as a moderate version of Islam in the light of a rising tide of fanaticism in the region.

He pointed to numerous attempts at tarnishing the image of Islam around the world, saying it was the responsibility of OIC member States to rectify the wrong impressions. Mursi also noted the economic stagnation currently facing the Moslem world. He called for the maximisation of the use of resources in Islamic nations to realise their deserved position in the world, noting that 21 of the member States present at the summit – including Egypt – remained underdeveloped.