KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23: A meeting of the leaders of the Organization of Islamic Conference is unlikely to be held on the sidelines of the 13th Non-Aligned Movement summit conference beginning here on Monday, conference sources said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has been especially keen that the OIC heads of state and government should meet informally now that they have an opportunity to do so.

However, till these lines were being written, there was no indication that OIC leaders will meet to discuss the issues facing the Muslim world, especially Iraq, Palestine and Kashmir.

Qatar’s head of state is at present chairman of the OIC, because the last OIC summit conference was held at Doha, the Qatari capital. However, at present, Qatar is an American base for military operations against Iraq and it does not feel it is in a position to take a stand against Washington. Many, though, not all Arab states, too, feel that way.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri on Sunday met leaders of six delegations, including the leader of the Chinese delegation, who is attending the NAM summit as an observer. He also met Farouk Khadoumi, head of the Palestinian delegation. Other delegates he met included those from Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Tunisia.—M.A.S