UNITED NATIONS, Nov 12: President Asif Ali Zardari was conspicuous by his absence at a dinner hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday evening for the world leaders attending the two-day interfaith dialogue.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi filled in for Mr Zardari.

According to sources, Mr Zardari skipped the dinner in an effort to avoid any contact with Israeli President Shimon Peres.

However, President Zardari may come face to face with the Israeli leader at a reception being hosted by Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan which he cannot avoid.

Pakistani diplomats said that Mr Zardari was under the weather and was resting in his hotel room.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia asked the General Assembly to hold the conference as a follow-up to an interfaith meeting he had organised with King Juan Carlos of Spain in July in Madrid.

“It’s quite unique when you expect President (Shimon) Peres of Israel ... and many kings and leaders from the Arab world ... (sitting) down together and having dinner,” Mr Ban said.

The UN chief told reporters he was not going to organise any meeting between the Saudi king and the Israeli president. Public meetings between Israeli and Saudi officials are extremely rare, and many Muslim countries do not have diplomatic ties Israel.

Mr Ban refused to disclose seating arrangements for the dinner, though he said all guests would be eating the same food.

“But sitting in the same room and engaging in (the) same functions — normally in the past they have not been sitting in the same place like this. That is again very important,” he said.

“I sincerely hope that through their participation in the meetings, and through this social-diplomatic gathering, they will be able to promote further understandings.”

AP adds: Mr Ban said: “I hope that this will also create some atmosphere, favourable, conducive to address the differences of political issues.”

He said he had an hour-long meeting with the Saudi king on Monday and commended his initiative and efforts to get agreement on a final statement that would be issued at the end of the conference.