Qatar agrees to OIC meeting

Qatar agrees to OIC meeting

MALAYSIA: After rejecting Malaysia's plan to hold a formal emergency meeting of Islamic countries, Qatar has agreed to informal talks to discuss the specter of war in Iraq and the Palestinian issue, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) meeting will be held on Feb. 26 in Kuala Lumpur, following a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 which about 40 of the organization's 57 members will be attending.

Qatar, the current chairman of the Islamic conference, last week turned down Malaysia's proposal to host a full emergency meeting. Malaysia will take over the chairmanship of the conference later this year.

But the emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, spoke with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday and expressed support for the informal meeting, said foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar. --AP