Muslim nations from the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), including Iran, met in Malaysia today to pressure the international community to halt the Middle East conflict.

Malaysia, which chairs the 57-nation OIC, is playing host to nearly 20 countries at the hastily assembled meeting amid condemnation by Muslim nations of Israel's military offensive in Lebanon and Gaza.

Malaysia has said the meeting will call for an immediate ceasefire and discuss a formal United Nations peacekeeping force for Lebanon and properly coordinated humanitarian assistance.

"The main reason for this meeting is for the voice of Muslims to be heard," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told reporters yesterday.

"The UN has tried, the Arab League has tried. Now we should add our voices to the world," he said.

"We will be pushing for a UN peacekeeping force to be deployed to Lebanon which will include Islamic countries," said Syed Hamid, who added the OIC nations would be discussing possible troop commitments.

"We want our force from the OIC member countries to operate under the blue helmet," he said.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is among the heads of state assembling to voice concerns and is expected to be one of those taking centre stage.

He arrived in Kuala Lumpur this morning and will depart in the evening in a whistlestop visit.

Be proactive

Iran has been accused of financing and arming the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which is locked in a bloody conflict with Israel, but has denied the allegation.

Other leaders attending the meeting include Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Turkey's premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ahead of the meeting, Yemen's Foreign Minister Abubaker Abdullah Alqirbi called on Muslim nations to be proactive in trying to resolve the conflict, including urging UN action, Malaysia's state Bernama news agency said.

"If all that fails then the Islamic countries should step up (efforts) and do something to help the Palestinians and Lebanese," Alqirbi was quoted as saying on his arrival in Malaysia.

The gathering was originally intended to comprise the OIC's executive committee but was expanded to include a number of member countries concerned over the escalation of violence in the Middle East, officials said.