World Muslim body vows to combat 'sectarian policies'

The Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, representing more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide, affirmed Thursday a commitment to unity in combatting "sectarian" policies.

OIC members will stand "united in combatting sectarian, confessional, and exclusion policies that have led to sedition in some countries and threatened their security and stability," said a statement issued at the end of two-day meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

The statement, read by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, did not explicitly name Iraq although many countries, including Saudi Arabia, have said the "sectarian" policies of Baghdad's Shiite-led government are to blame for the takeover by Sunni insurgents of key cities and large swathes of that country.

Speaking to reporters, Faisal accused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of "stirring" trouble in his country.

Maliki, he added, was also behind "the deterioration of the situation in Iraq".

His comments came in response to a question on Baghdad's allegations that Saudi Arabia should be held responsible for militant financing and crimes committed by insurgent groups in Iraq.

Militants, spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and joined by supporters of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, have overrun a large chunk of northern and north-central Iraq in the past week, although their advance has since been slowed.

Saudi media has been minimising the role of ISIL, designated by the Sunni-dominated kingdom as a "terrorist" organisation, through highlighting the role of Sunni tribes and other armed groups in the insurgency.