OIC Secy Gen Madani due tomorrow

Iyad Amin Madani, the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), will arrive in capital Dhaka tomorrow (Saturday) on a four-day official visit to Bangladesh. It will be the first visit to Bangladesh by Madani after his election to the top position of the 57-nation organisation. Madani will be accompanied by a five member IOC team. During the visit, the new OIC Secretary General will hold meetings with Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali and the Foreign Secretary M. Shahidul Haque at the Foreign Office on Sunday. The OIC chief is also expected to call on President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, apart from visiting some institutions. Bangladesh is among the first few countries that Secretary General Madani decided to visit after taking over the responsibilities of the General Secretariat of the OIC. The OIC is the second largest international organisation (after the UN family) that groups together 57 Muslim-majority countries spread over four continents of the world. Madani, a former Minister of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, assumed office as the 10th Secretary General of the OIC on January 1 this year after his election in the 12th OIC Summit held in Egyptian capital Cairo in February last year, according to a news agency.