The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins Monday, has a distinct flavour in Egypt, where the streets are decorated for the occasion.

In the 11th century, there was a debate among Muslim world chemists on whether the transmutation of substances was possible.

Qassam missiles, suicide bombers, snipers and attempts at mega terrorism were directed against innocent civilians as part of the armed intifada being carried out by organizations such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Fatah's Al Aqsa Brigade, whose goal was to wipe his country off the map.

His country had been one of the first to sign the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism, the Convention on Combating International Terrorism of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Convention recently adopted by the Gulf Cooperation Council, and it had acceded to several international treaties and conventions against terrorism.

It was to be hoped that consensus would speedily emerge on the two draft conventions on terrorism. Iran, along with other members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), would cooperate proactively to ensure the speedy adoption of those two important documents.

It was to be hoped that States would have the political will to cooperate more closely in developing international instruments that would complement the existing body of law, taking into account the concerns of all parties, especially those repeatedly voiced by the Organization of the Islamic Conference.