RIYADH (IRNA) -- Saudi King Abdullah has officially invited Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to attend the annual Hajj rituals this year, it was announced here on Wednesday.

Announcing the above, Iran's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Hosseini added that President Ahmadinejad has been invited to observe the Hajj rituals as the ""special guest"".
The Iranian envoy did not elaborate on the exact date of Ahmadinejad's trip to Saudi Arabia.
This is the first time that the highest-ranking Saudi official officially invites an Iranian president to participate in Hajj rituals.
President Ahmadinejad visited Saudi Arabia twice in the past one year. He visited the country in March 2007 to review issues of mutual interest with senior Saudi officials.
The Iranian president also went to Riyadh in November 2007, to attend the third annual summit of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).