Saudi authorities have officially invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to attend the extraordinary Islamic summit which would take place mid-August in Mecca, the Saudi media reported Sunday. The summit aims to "discuss the situation faced by many states in the Islamic world, to redouble efforts to address sources of discord and division strengthen Islamic solidarity" , said a statement issued earlier.
The written invitation was sent to the Iranian president by the Saudi ambassador to Tehran Mohammad bin Abbas al-Kalabi, the agency said.
This comes amid tense Saudi-Iranian relations. Saudi Arabia has been accusing Tehran, among others, as standing behind the protests by its Shiite minority that is concentrated in the east of the kingdom.
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called on July 22nd for holding an extraordinary Islamic summit to address the "risks of sedition" in Muslim countries. He had hoped that the summit will contribute to "unify the ranks" of Muslims, without giving further details on the meeting or its agenda.
For now, Tehran has not responded to the invitation.