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