ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: Pakistan will host a meeting of foreign ministers from seven Muslim nations this month to discuss how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bring peace to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday.

As a result of Pakistan’s back and forth consultations with key Muslim countries for a new initiative to address the alarming Middle East situation, it has been decided that Saudi Arabia would host a summit conference in Makkah and preparations for which would be made at a meeting of the OIC secretary-general and seven foreign ministers in Islamabad on Feb 25, the statement said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan would remain in contact with Iran, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinian leadership, the statement said.

Notably in Riyadh, Mr Kasuri had a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari who was visiting the Saudi capital.

The statement said: “There will also be contacts with other important players with influence over the Middle East situation.”

According to the text of Mr Kasuri’s press statement released here by the Foreign Office on Wednesday after his meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal in Riyadh, he said President Musharraf had been in close touch with Saudi King Abdullah on the need of a new initiative to address Middle East crises, particularly relating to Palestine.

Mr Kasuri reiterated that Pakistan had been advocating that the festering Palestinian dispute was at the very heart of the radicalising influences at work across the world today and underscored: “To this we must now add Iraq, Lebanon, growing instability in Afghanistan, heightened tension between Iran and the US as well as the rising Shia-Sunni strife in Iraq which can spill beyond its border,” adding: “Pakistan cannot remain a silent spectator to all this.”