MOROCCAN KING INVITES NU CHIEF TO SPEAK OF RELIGIOUS MATTERS

London, April 19 (ANTARA) - Morocco's King Muhammad VI has invited KH Said Aqil Siradj, chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, to visit the northern African country in the upcoming fasting month of Ramadhan.

The invitation was conveyed to the NU chairman through Moroccan Ambassador to Indonesia Mohammed Majdi at the NU head office in Jakarta recently, the Indonesian Embassy in Morocco said in a press statement on Sunday.

At the meeting with the Moroccan ambassador, Said Aqil said he accepted the Moroccan king's invitation as a token of respect for NU, the statement said.

In the invitation, the Moroccan king asked the NU chairman to deliver a religious speech before the king and ulemas from all over the world on the occasion of "Durus Hasaniyyah" themed "Maintaining Religions and Faiths in Democratic Countries".

The embassy said if the event materialized, Said Aqil would be the first Indonesian person to deliver a religious speech before the Moroccan king.

The Moroccan ambassador meanwhile said the two countries were determined to step up their cooperation especially in the religious field to create principles of tolerance according to the thoughts developed by NU.

U-ZG