Malaysia, as chairman of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), is calling a special meeting of Muslim nations to discuss the situation in Iraq, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

Syed Hamid said he hoped the meeting could be held this month, the official Bernama news agency reported. If it was difficult to convene a summit of leaders, the gathering would involve foreign ministers, he said.

"We have given the indication that we would like to have it before the end of this month. Once we get feedback on how many countries can come, we will determine whether we are going ahead or not," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The situation in the Middle East would also be on the agenda, Syed Hamid said.

Escalating violence

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi last Friday expressed Malaysia's concern about the rising violence in Iraq and said he was saddened by the number of civilian deaths in fighting between US-led coalition troops and radicals from the Sunni and Shiite Muslim communities.

"Malaysia is worried that military action has been taken without considering local religious sensitivities and culture," he said, adding that he was prepared to host an OIC meeting on the issue.

Syed Hamid said that apart from discussing the situation in Iraq, the OIC gathering could touch on the role of the United Nations in the war-torn country.

"Obviously the peace that has been promised and the stability that is hoped for is not happening in Iraq," he said.

OIC members, who held their last summit in Malaysia last October, wanted a speedy withdrawal of US troops and the task of rebuilding Iraq to be handled by the UN, he said.

Syed Hamid said a similar meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement of developing countries, which Malaysia also chairs, would be called as well. - AFP