Iran president to attend Saudi summit: Aide
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Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gives a news conference on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday, June 21, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
TEHERAN (AFP) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to attend an extraordinary summit of Muslim leaders in the holy city of Mecca next week at the invitation of the Saudi king, an aide said on Monday.
Dr Ahmadinejad will attend the summit "to discuss the development in Muslim countries," Mr Mohammad Reza Forqani, head of international affairs in the president's office, told the official IRNA news agency.
Mr Forqani said the two-day summit will start on August 14.
Saudi Arabia last month called for the summit with the aim of "unifying the ranks" of Muslims. It hosts the headquarters of the 57-member pan-Muslim body, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
