Qatar, which currently chairs the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), called for an emergency Islamic summit to discuss the "challenges" facing the region, the official QNA news agency reported."The state of Qatar has called for the convening of an emergency Islamic summit" to examine "the current developments and challenges" facing the region, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying.

The spokesman said Doha had contacted the secretariat of the 57-member organization to prepare for a summit, but did not give a tentative date for the proposed meeting.

The proposal to convene an Islamic summit comes at a time when the United States is engaged in a massive military buildup in the Gulf as a prelude to an anticipated attack on Iraq.

Qatar, a close US ally, is likely to serve as the command center of a military campaign.The Qatari spokesman said the emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, undertook "telephone consultations with the leaders of several Islamic countries on developments (in the region) and current challenges.

"Several of these leaders urged Sheikh Hamad to convene an extraordinary Islamic summit, he said.Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose country takes over the OIC presidency in October, said Wednesday Malaysia was prepared to host a special OIC meeting on Iraq during the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month.

Iranian television said Iranian President Mohammad Khatami had called for the pan-Islamic body to hold such a meeting to seek ways of resolving the Iraqi crisis during a telephone call to Qatar's emir.

Malaysia: Islamic nations will discuss possible Iraq war during developing nations conference

Top officials from Islamic nations will discuss the threat of war in Iraq on the sidelines of a conference of developing nations next week, Malaysia's Foreign Minister said.

Syed Hamid Albar, quoted Tuesday in local media, said informal discussions among members of the Organization of Islamic Conference were likely to take place during a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur.

Syed Hamid said he had written to OIC chair Qatar "to say that we should hold discussions among ourselves because of the threat of war," the New Straits Times newspaper reported.

The talks would not constitute a formal OIC meeting, he said. Many Arab and Islamic nations - including Iraq - are members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a grouping of mostly poor or developing countries formed during the Cold War. It now has more than 100 members.

The movement's Feb. 20-25 summit of leaders and top officials will be one of the biggest international gatherings in Asia this year, and comes as international debate rages about a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq and security fears about terrorist strikes.

"The issue of peace will be discussed at the summit," Syed Hamid said. He told national news agency Bernama on Tuesday that the summit would not be postponed if a U.S. strike on Iraq occurs before the meeting starts. "We'll meet, war or no war," Syed Hamid said

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Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani