TEHRAN, Dec 10; The eighth summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), that began in Tehran on Tuesday may well produce more surprise than expected. One surprise has already been sprung: Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, replacing President Mohammad Khatami as regards delivering the opening speech at the summit. News reports have it that all of the official documents distributed on the 55-member OIC summit had mentioned Khatami, as head of the state, as the one who would be delivering the inaugural speech.

Khamenei's decisions to speak at the inaugural session has come as more than a mere surprise, for it has come just two days before the start of the December 9-11 summit of the leaders and other top officials from the 55-member OIC.

As it seems, the eighth summit of the OIC would have a more pronounced political overtone than to socio-economic cooperation. Possibilities of the opening summit of the OIC passing resolutions on matters relating to the position of the Islamic countries vis-a-vis the changed map of the world in the post-superpower rivalry look more likely.

News emanating from Tehran indicates that the opening declaration by Khamenei ``will determine the orientation of activities in the summit''. Early signs of this possibility were evident during the period when Islamic foreign ministers laboured to adopt 142 resolutions prior to the OIC summit, ``despite differences over Turkey's military links with Israel and its actions in northern Iraq.''

Turkey, it may be recalled, had signed a military cooperation accord with Israel last year. Apart from that, Ankara's role came under question by the Islamic countries when Turkish troops launched a major incursion last week into northern Iraq in pursuit of rebel Kurds.

Two separate resolutions have already been adopted, to set the tone and tenor of the summit as it were, condemning all Muslim countries with military links with the Jewish state and the need to respect the integrity of northern Iraq. Although these two resolutions have been passed, Turkey has not been mentioned by name in the text.

That, however, does not mean that the heads of governments of the member-countries of the OIC will not spell it out as to how they looked at the role of Turkey.

Member-countries like Bangladesh which wish to make the most out of the unity of the Islamic Ummah for the benefit of their peoples, are expected to underline the importance of strengthening the unity of the Islamic countries for economic development of their people.

That, one can say with all confidence, would be the wisest line to take at a forum like the OIC. For, it is of supreme importance to become economically stronger and less dependent on others, in order to be taken seriously by the world of today.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.