Khamenei calls for Muslim unity

TEHRAN, March 12 (UPI) -- The Organization of the Islamic Conference should work to resolve regional disputes in order to unite the Muslim world, Iran's supreme leader said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in Tehran to discuss ways to counter what Iran's Press TV described as enemy efforts to stoke disunity in the Muslim world.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, for his part, praised the efforts of the OIC and its role in the region.

"The OIC defends interests of the Islamic world," he said. "The body shoulders an important duty to bring unity and coherence among Islamic countries."

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he would decline any offer from Turkey to serve as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said on the heels of a weekend visit with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Ankara would consider serving as a mediator if asked.

"We can contribute to bringing relations between the two countries to a much better place, and our hope is that this search for dialogue will bring concrete results," Babacan said.