TEHRAN -- Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has invited Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani to attend the International Islamic Dialogue Conference.

The Saudi Arabian ambassador to Iran delivered the invitation to the EC chairman at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.
“King Abdullah believes you have a great stature in the Islamic world… and he has assigned me the duty of inviting you to the conference,” Ambassador Osama bin Ahmad Al-Sonosi told Rafsanjani.
Rafsanjani expressed his appreciation for receiving the special invitation and expressed hope that the conference would help efforts to establish consensus and strengthen friendship in the Islamic world.
The disagreements in the Islamic world, between politicians and also clerics, have created an undesirable situation, he noted.
The conflicts in certain Islamic countries, especially Iraq and Lebanon, have widened the chasms between Muslims, Rafsanjani said, adding, “The Islamic dialogue conference can moderate the atmosphere and facilitate cooperation between Islamic states.”
Al-Sonosi said the conference is being organized to provide a forum where scholars can study ways to improve cooperation between Islamic states and expand their relations with other countries.
“Through the conference, we are seeking to promote unity in the Islamic world,” he stated