Iranians welcome former Islamic foes to summit

Thirty heads of state and government - a record assembly in Iran since the 1979 Revolution - gathered in the Iranian capital yesterday to attend the summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

The meeting, which begins this morning, restores Iran's legitimacy in the region and constitutes a severe blow to the US, which could muster only a handful of Arab states at the Arab-Israeli Economic Summit it sponsored in Doha last month.

President Mohamed Khatami, who was elected in May, greeted dignitaries at the airport, accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Mr Kamal Kharrazi. Mr Khatami and Mr Kharrazi are known as moderates eager to strengthen Iran's ties with the outside world.

"The only question is whether it is a modest, big or triumphant success," a European ambassador said.

As chairman of the OIC, Iran will officially represent the entire Muslim world for the next three years. Iranian commentators emphasise the snub to the US, which claims Iran is a "terrorist" country.

Iran has lavished an estimated $80 million (£55 million) organising the summit. Former imperial palaces were reserved for the most valued guests: Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Hafez al-Assad of Syria, and the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, who is to address the opening session.

All of the capital's main hotels are requisitioned for delegations, and 40 luxurious villas were specially built for senior officials. An official holiday was declared in the capital yesterday and will continue until Thursday. Many of Tehran's streets will be closed to traffic for the duration of the summit.

The Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, was among the first to arrive. President Suleiman Demirel of Turkey, a US NATO ally, is also attending. Turkey has been criticised in preparatory sessions for its military ties with Israel, and over the presence of up to 20,000 Turkish troops in northern Iraq.

Other guests include the Egyptian Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr Esmat Abdel-Meguid, the Emirs of Kuwait and Qatar, the Sudanese President, Gen Omar al-Bashir, and the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and Malaysia.

Two US allies, King Hussein of Jordan and King Hassan of Morocco, are noticeably absent. Jordan sent the king's brother, Crown Prince Hassan, and its Prime Minister and Speaker of Parliament. King Hassan is represented by his Prime Minister, Mr Abdelatif Filali. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt - Washington's closest Arab ally, who has often accused Tehran of sponsoring fundamentalist rebellions - was not expected to attend. He sent his Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Musa.