Mideast rivalries plague fledgling Muslim summit in Malaysia
Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran are dogging a summit set to debut this week in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is launching a summit this week that reflects Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s vision for a new power bloc to address problems afflicting the Muslim world. But the upstart summit is causing controversy over its exclusivity, mainly because Iran was invited but its archrival, Saudi Arabia, was not.
Taking place Dec. 18-20, the 2019 Kuala Lumpur Summit’s agenda covers regional issues including trade, security, technology and internet governance.
Apparently, the idea occurred to the leaders of Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in September. Later, Iran and Qatar were invited to participate.
In addition to the host, Mahathir, the following top leaders were expected to attend: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Also, 450 other leaders, thinkers and scholars from 52 countries will be taking part.
