President Vladimir Putin on 16 October addressed a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Malaysia, saying that the millions of Muslims in Russia are \"a full-fledged, full-blooded, integral part of the Russian people.\" He called Muslims \"an asset\" and a part of Russia\'s \"wealth.\" Putin said that interconfessional and interethnic conflicts are among the main threats in the modern world. He said that some forces use religious slogans to wage an aggressive campaign against legitimate authorities and to incite separatism and terrorism. Other forces, Putin added, are manipulating this situation for their own ends, which have nothing to do with Islam or human rights. He added that Russia condemns efforts to identify Islam with extremism or terrorism. Putin urged that the financial, scientific, and human resources of Russia and OIC member countries be combined in order \"to make [the organization] a factor in world politics.\" President Putin traveled to the OIC summit with an impressive delegation that included Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and many Muslim officials in the federal government, as well as representatives of Russia\'s predominantly Muslim regions. Among those traveling with Putin were Chechnya\'s President-elect Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, Bashkortostan\'s President Murtaza Rakhimov, Kabardino-Balkaria\'s President Valerii Kokov, Tatarstan\'s State Council Chairman Farid Mukhametshin, presidential administration deputy head Jaikhan Pollyeva, and Property Relations Minister Farit Gazizullin. Although Russia has expressed a desire to join the OIC, it can only lay claim to observer status because OIC rules restrict full membership to countries with populations that are at least 50 percent Muslim, or that have a Muslim head of state, or that are governed by sharia law, NTV reported. (RFE/RL)