OIC not in favour of Gaza international force

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 (Reuters) The Organisation of Islamic Conference does not see the need of an international force along the Gaza-Egypt border to help counter growing Hamas strength, the OIC's secretary-general said today.

Faced with the prospect of a Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said an international force along the territory's border with Egypt should be considered.

But the 57-nation OIC, the world's biggest grouping of Islamic nations, said it would oppose the plan.

''I think what is needed is not external forces, it needs a better understanding between internal forces,'' OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in Malaysia for a visit, told reporters.

''I do think that there is a need for a strong leadership on behalf of all political leaders and the situation cannot be allowed to further deteriorate.

''The leadership must immediately show its strength and resolution in implementing the necessary action,'' he said.

More than 80 people, mostly gunmen but also children and other civilians, have been killed since Saturday in the bloodiest violence between Hamas and Fatah factions since Hamas used its Gaza power base to win a parliamentary election early last year.

Hamas, which along with other militant groups smuggles weapons into Gaza in tunnels built under the frontier, has rejected Olmert's idea.

''The movement would regard those forces as occupation forces no different to the Israeli occupation, regardless of their nationality,'' Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said.

The European Union's foreign policy chief said on Wednesday the EU would consider participation in an international contingent.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also raised the possibility of ''an international presence'' during a lunch with UN Security Council members.

He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had asked him to consider UN involvement during a telephone call on Tuesday.

Reuters SV GC1447