Islamic heads attend one-day meeting

Heads of Islamic states have attended a one-day meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, to discuss mutual trade and economic cooperation. Ahead of the summit, leaders gathered for a breakfast meeting and discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

During the breakfast meeting, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said sending troops to confront the Taliban in Afghanistan will not get the job done, and there were two major goals to achieve.

Abdullah Gul said, "The first goal is to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan by winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Our brothers and sisters must know that we are there so their future can be brighter. The second goal is to ultimately entrust the security of Afghanistan to the Afghans. We cannot stay in Afghanistan forever."

Following the breakfast meeting, Muslim leaders started the one-day meeting of the OIC, delivering speeches on issues of mutual concern. Syrian President Bashar Assad said the economies must be understood in relation to political issues.