Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s invitation to attend the Islamic summit in Makkah on Aug. 14-15.
“Ahmadinejad will take part in the summit following an invitation from King Abdullah,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported yesterday, citing the president’s office.
The news agency quoted Mohammad Reza Forghani, director for international affairs at Ahmadinejad’s office, as saying: “The Iranian president will be present at the summit, which is aimed at reviewing developments in the Islamic world.”
Saudi Ambassador to Iran Muhammad Al-Kilabi had handed the invitation from King Abdullah to Rahim Mashani, director of the president’s office, during a meeting in Tehran on Saturday.
Ahmadinejad was also present at the extraordinary summit convened by King Abdullah in Makkah in 2005. Since then the Muslim and the Arab world has gone through a tremendous churning.
The latest summit is aimed at strengthening Islamic unity and solidarity. Invitations have been sent to leaders of the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to attend the conference. OIC foreign ministers will meet on Aug. 13 after a preparatory meeting of senior officials.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the tragic situation in Syria and the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar would figure high on the summit’s agenda.
Stressing that Iran has always played an influential role in the OIC, the official said the meeting is to discuss the latest developments in the Islamic world.
Ahmadinejad accepts king’s invitation to attend Makkah summit
