Jeddah, City, Rabi'I 8, 1433, Jan 31, 2012, SPA - The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, expressed Monday his strong condemnation of the continuing violence in Syria and the killing of large numbers of civilians who demand reform and change. In a press statement issued here yesterday, he also expressed his serious concern at the deteriorating situation, which jeopardizes Syria’s security, unity, stability and the safety of its people. The Secretary General stated that the exacerbating crisis in Syria requires bold decisions and sacrifices for the interest of the country, reminding that the responsibility rests with political leaderships which must make sacrifices for the benefit of the Syrian people and not the opposite. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu voiced his concern at the international community’s continuing failure to address the crisis in Syria and the devastation and destruction the country endures. The OIC Secretary General called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities and to act promptly in order to resolve the Syrian crisis in a way that would put an end to the bloodshed and to the killing of the innocent civilians. --SPA 11:17 LOCAL TIME 08:17 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/965862