OIC welcomes release of Qatari hostages in Iraq

JEDDAH, April 21 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen welcomed on Friday the release of Qatari hostages in Iraq and their safe return to homeland.
He appreciated the efforts made by the Iraqi authorities over the last two years to secure safe release of the Qatari nationals.
The OIC kept following up this humanitarian issue closely and issued several resolutions and statements in this regard the latest of which was the resolution of the 43rd session of the OIC foreign ministers' council, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on October 18-19, 2016, he said.
"The final communique of the Tashkent meeting denounced the kidnapping of the Qatari nationals as a shameful act that contravenes the values of noble Islam and the international laws," Dr. Al-Othaimeen recalled.
The communique stressed the need to double efforts in order to secure safe release of the hostages, he added.
Earlier today the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the release of 26 Qatari hunters who were kidnapped by an armed group in a desert area in Al-Muthanna governorate, south Iraq, in January 2015. (end) nh.gb