EL-AZHAR MOSQUE IN CAIRO, WHERE THE CONFERENCE TOOK PLACE, VARIOUS DELEGATES SPEAKING AT THE CONFERENCE; AUDIENCE APPLAUDING.




Initials WW/VS/BOB/MJB



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Background: MOSLEM LEADERS FROM MANY COUNTRIES YESTERDAY (24 AUGUST) CONCLUDED A CONFERENCE IN CAIRO CALLED TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE PARTIAL BURNING OF THE EL-AQSA MOSQUE IN JERUSALEM. THE 500-YEAR-OLD MOSQUE, WHICH IS ISLAM'S THIRD MOST SACRED CENTRE, WAS PARTLY BURNT OUT ON THURSDAY (21 AUGUST) AND HAS RESULTED IN THE HIGHEST TENSION AND ANTI-ISRAEL FEELING AMONG ARABS SINCE THE 1967 SIX-DAY WAR.

THE LEADERS MET IN THE EL-AZHAR MOSQUE, THE U.A.R.'S TRADITIONAL FORUM FOR IMPORTANT CONFERENCES. AMONG THE DELEGATES WERE THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COPTIC CHURCH'S POPE GORGION, THE JORDANIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.R., AND THE ALGERIAN AMBASSADOR, MR. EL-AKDAR IBRAHIM.

THE ISRAELI ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE ARREST OF A 28-YEAR-OLD AUSTRALIAN TOURIST, MICHAEL ROHEN, ON A CHARGE OF SETTING THE MOSQUE ON FIRE HAS DONE NOTHING TO LESSEN THE ARAB TENSION, AND THE CONFERENCE PROCEEDED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE ISRAELIS WERE IN COMPLICITY.

SPEAKER AFTER SPEAKER DENOUNCED THE BURNING AS ISRAELI-INSPIRED, SOME ALLEGING THAT THE ISRAELIS PLANNED TO BUILD THE PROPOSED TEMPLE OF SOLOMON ON ITS SITE.

LATER, THE HIGHER COUNCIL OF EL-AZHAR HELD A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE CONFERENCE'S FINDINGS.

MEANWHILE, ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS ARE DUE TO MEET TODAY (25 AUGUST) IN CAIRO FOR AN EMERGENCY MEETING AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARAB LEAGUE.