Muslim leaders from around the world opened an emergency summit Wednesday; part of frantic diplomatic efforts to avert a U.S.-led war to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that is widely feared would destabilize the Middle East. Wednesday's meeting of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference was the third high-level gathering in the region in a week aimed at trying to figure out how to stave off war. Arab and Islamic nations are divided on whether there is any chance to do so if Saddam holds on to power.

In his opening remarks, Qatari leader Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani called for a unified position, saying that while the Muslim world does not claim to hold the strategic decision over war and peace "we are certain that we can influence decisions."

Efforts Should Focus on Exhausting All Peaceful Means to Solve the Crisis

"Our choice today ... rests on our belief in what we can do for Iraq to get out of this crisis in a way that will avoid it and us any expensive price," Sheik Hamad said, stressing the importance of non-interference in Iraq's internal affairs and territorial integrity as well as Kuwait's.

"We must be careful in all our moves that our efforts are focused on exhausting all peaceful means to solve this issue," he said. "Any other way will create more crises, conflicts and suffering."

The summit comes, as calls for the Iraqi president to consider a life in exile have grown stronger.

However, organizers have said it's up to the leaders to decide if they will discuss an initiative by United Arab Emirates President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan urging Saddam to step down.

Iran Proposes Referendum

Iran put forward its own Iraqi peace proposal Tuesday in Tehran that urged the divided Iraqi opposition to reconcile with Saddam and called for U.N. supervised elections.

An Iranian diplomat at the summit wouldn't say Wednesday morning if the Iranian proposal would be considered by the summit. However, he said on condition of anonymity that the Iranians want to discuss it with the Iraqis and with other Muslim and Arab countries.

"We believe that the initiative has a good chance to succeed because it is different from the UAE initiative as it allows the regime to stay in power, but with national reconciliation," he said.

Shortly before the meeting opened, Osama El Baz, a key adviser to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, told reporters in Doha the Iranian proposal is "serious" and deserves consideration.

Iraqi exile groups, however, have been skeptical at best of the Iranian plan, with even the Iranian-based Shiite Muslim Iraqi opposition group, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, rejecting it.

Arab League Chief Praises UAE Exile Initiative for Saddam

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, meanwhile, praised the Emirates' initiative as "well intentioned," but he dodged questions about whether it will be discussed formally at the summit. "We want to send a clear message to the whole world in the name of the Islamic world."

Kuwait's minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed Al Sabah, said it was "not only of historical importance but is timely and the only peaceful exit for this dangerous crisis."

Sheik Zayed became the first Arab leader Saturday to publicly raise the idea of the Iraqi leadership relinquishing power to avoid war over suspicions that it possesses weapons of mass destruction in defiance of a U.N. regulation approved after Baghdad's defeat in the 1991 Gulf war.

GCC Gives Preliminary Backing to UAE Initiative

On Monday, a meeting in Doha of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council gave its preliminary backing to the Emirates' initiative but did not formally endorse it, saying it should be discussed further in the Arab League. In addition to Kuwait, Bahrain has lent its full support to calls for Saddam's ouster. Both Gulf States host thousands of U.S. military personnel primed for war.

Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul also is taking part in Wednesday's one-day summit. Turkish politicians have been haggling over whether Turkey should allow U.S. troops to launch an attack from its territory or risk losing billions of dollars in aid and a say in Iraq's future.

Using Oil as a "Weapon" to Avert War

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, a staunch anti-war advocate who arrived in Qatar Tuesday, has said Islamic states discussed another idea likely to worry the West: using oil as a "weapon" to avert a possible U.S.-led war on Iraq, but had failed to reach a consensus.

Like other recent high-level gatherings, the Doha summit is aimed at trying to head off an Iraq war with the twin strategies of strongly urging Saddam to comply with U.N. demands to disarm, while making plain the group's opposition to force.

Iraq is pushing hard for fellow Muslims to support it in its standoff with the United States, arguing that the Americans want to dominate Iraq's oil and divide the Arab and Muslims world.

Most of the OIC countries have sent low-level delegations to the summit including the Muslim world's most populous country Indonesia. Heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are represented by ministers or deputy ministers. Iran is represented by a deputy foreign minister. Iraq, however, sent Saddam's deputy Izzat Ibrahim.

PHOTO CAPTION

OIC Chairman, Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, right, talks to his foreign Minister Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani during the opening session of the 15th annual Arab summit at Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, Saturday, March.1, 2003. (AP Photo/Str) - Mar 01 8:25