AUSTRALIA NAMES SPECIAL ENVOY TO OIC

MELBOURNE (Bernama) - The Australian Government has named
businessman Ahmed Fahour as Australia's special envoy to the Organisation of
the Islamic Conference (OIC).

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said Fahour had agreed to take up this
appointment in parallel with his current role as Chair of the Council for Arab
Australia Relations.

Rudd said Australia had strong bonds with many OIC members.

"Our political, economic and people-to-people partnerships with Indonesia,
Malaysia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Gulf States, Egypt the Magreb and the
Levant, are among Australia's most important," he said in a statement.

"Our goods trade amounts to A$39 billion annually with OIC members and tens
of thousands of young students from OIC member countries study in Australia with
86,000 enrolments last year alone."

Rudd said Fahour would work to deepen Australia's engagement with OIC
countries and the OIC agenda.

"He is a man with a passion for advancing social cohesion and the place of
Muslims in Australian society," he said.

Rudd said he wanted to strengthen ties with the Muslim world by formalising
a framework for cooperation between Australia and the OIC.

I would like, through this framework, to explore how to increase cooperation
on inter-faith dialogue, on food security and on joint aid projects between
Australia and the OIC," he said.