Many OIC members seek talks on Iraq after NAM summit

Many OIC members seek talks on Iraq after NAM summit

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia said many members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), including Iran, have called for an emergency meeting to discuss a possible U.S. military attack on Iraq, local media reported on Sunday.

Malaysia is hosting the summit for the 115 developing countries in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) this month and Kuala Lumpur hoped to convene a one-day meeting on Iraq soon after the summit was over.

"Many OIC countries have voiced the need for an emergency meeting in view of the crisis affecting the world and Malaysia has decided to take the initiative," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying on Saturday.

Malaysia is due to take over from OIC chair Qatar in October, when representatives of 56 Muslim member nations gather in Kuala Lumpur. But Qatar has said it disagrees with Malaysia's proposal to hold an urgent OIC meeting on Iraq in Kuala Lumpur.

"Our foreign minister has already contacted Qatar and Qatar did not agree to hold an emergency OIC meeting here," Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was quoted by the official Bernama news agency as saying.

"But we will try to find ways (to hold a meeting), informally maybe," he said.

Mahathir said Malaysia was disappointed at Qatar's position.

"Well, we are very disappointed because we are here, so many heads of government of OIC countries who are also NAM countries are here. It is a good opportunity for us to meet and discuss informally to have a common stand on the Iraq issue," he said.

Mahathir said Iranian President Mohammad Khatami had telephoned him, suggesting the meeting be held after NAM.

"Even Mohammad Khatami suggested to me on the phone that we should have a special meeting session of the OIC after the NAM summit," he was quoted by the Sunday Times as saying.

OIC members include Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, thousands of police, some armed with M-16 rifles, have been deployed in the Malaysian capital as part of a massive security plan ahead of the upcoming NAM summit, top police officials said.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Dell Akhbar Khan told AFP late Saturday that the deployment of some 8,500 armed security personnel, including anti-terror units, was the largest ever mobilization by the police for an international meeting.

"It is normal that we consider the international environment and not just internal factors when we plan for the security," he said when asked whether police took into consideration the threat of regional terror group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and the al-Qaeda terrorist network.

"I think in the past, even with the JI threat, we have been very cautious. We must ensure the safety of our guests."