ARAB, MUSLIM LEADERS CONVENE IN SAUDI ARABIA FOR URGENT TALKS ON MIDEAST CONFLICTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) – Arab and Muslim leaders have begun arriving in Saudi Arabia to attend the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on Monday in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Palestinian and Lebanese territories.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, leading a delegation to participate in the summit, arrived in Riyadh on Sunday.

Abbas was accompanied by key Palestinian officials, including Hussein Sheikh, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa, President Abbas' Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khalidi, and Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghuneim, Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh from Cairo, Egypt, on Monday. He expressed Malaysia’s deepest appreciation to Saudi Arabia for its leadership in convening the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit.

In a Facebook post, Anwar stated that the summit is crucial for urgently addressing the escalating violence and brutal attacks by the Zionist regime against Palestinians and Lebanese.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also arrived in Riyadh to attend the Summit, plans to call for "an immediate end to the genocide in Gaza" and the "immediate cessation of the ongoing Israeli adventurism in the region," according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.

Among other Arab and Muslim leaders who arrived in Riyadh for the Summit are Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Presidential Council of Libya, Dr. Mohamed Younis Al-Menfi, Senegalese President Macky Sall, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani, and Kyrgyz Republic President Sadyr Japarov.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said he would not attend the meeting due to his busy schedule. However, Pezeshkian confirmed that Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref would represent Iran at the Summit. 

Pezeshkian expressed confidence that the summit would yield “tangible results” aimed at addressing and halting the actions of the Zionist regime in Gaza and Lebanon, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported. 

He also commended Mohammed for his prudent leadership in organising this significant gathering.

Saudi Arabia is convening an urgent meeting of the Arab-Islamic Summit on Monday in response to the escalating violence in the Palestinian and Lebanese territories. The brutal Israeli aggression has compelled Arab and Islamic leaders to take urgent action, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Key priorities of the meeting include halting the aggression, protecting civilians, providing support to the Palestinian and Lebanese people, unifying positions, and exerting pressure on international community to take decisive steps to end the ongoing attacks, and establish lasting peace and stability in the region.

A similar meeting was held in Riyadh on Nov 11 last year. 

The summit last year, tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine, and other interested countries, along with the secretaries-general of the Arab League and OIC, to initiate immediate international action to halt the war in Gaza and push for a serious political process to achieve lasting, comprehensive peace based on internationally recognised principles.

-- BERNAMA