Kuala Lumpur, 11 August 2006 – Y Bhg. Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood, President of MERCY Malaysia has entered Lebanon as part of a Task Force under the OIC Countries Humanitarian Forum (OICCHF). She departed for Beirut on Wednesday, 9th August 2006.

The objective of this mission is mainly to establish a coordination centre for OIC Countries Humanitarian Forum in Beirut (OICCHF). Her tasks also include securing a safe passage for the deployment of emergency medical and relief supplies for the people in Lebanon.

“We are here in Beirut to meet the Lebanese authorities and NGO representatives. We hope to establish communication channels between both parties and more importantly our mission is to put in place a mechanism for cooperation with NGOs in Lebanon. We are assessing the security condition and developing an action plan together with our Lebanese counterparts” remarked Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood.

Due to the high security in Beirut, the OIC and Lebanese authorities facilitated the security clearance for the team. Security protocol is in place and support function will be undertaken by MERCY Malaysia’s team in Damascus.

Datuk Dr Jemilah Mahmood is accompanied by two (2) other OICCHF members who are Mr. Mustafa Tutkun of Lighthouse Association of Turkey and Mr. Ghasan Naboulsi, Lebanon representative.