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."