JEDDAH: King Salman has praised the efforts of Muslim scholars taking part in an Afghanistan peace conference in Saudi Arabia. The king received a delegation of the scholars on Wednesday at his palace in Jeddah. The International Ulema Conference on Peace and Security, organized by the Afghanistan Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), started on Tuesday. “You are the best who work to serve Islam and Muslims, unify their words and ranks, and eliminate the Islamic world from wars and crises afflicting it as well as the scourges of extremism and terrorism,” the king said. King Salman said Saudi Arabia has stood with the Afghan people in their suffering since the beginning of the Afghan crisis and the war. Saudi Arabia has provided humanitarian and economic assistance and made continuous political efforts to renounce division and differences among the Afghan people, he said. “Today, we are optimistic that your efforts will contribute to closing the page of the past and opening a new page in Afghanistan that would achieve the aspirations of the Afghan people for security and stability, and this requires adopting the approach of dialogue, reconciliation and tolerance as dictated by our Islamic religion,” he added, thanking the muslim scholars for their efforts. The OIC Secretary-General, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, delivered a speech on behalf of the scholars, expressed gratitude to King Salman for hosting the conference in Saudi Arabia. He explained that more than 100 Islamic scholars from across the globe attended the conference to help the people of Afghanistan, who have suffered “war, death and terrorism,” with the aim to bring peace and stability. He said the summit was a platform for scholars to discuss this crisis from a religious perspective, to ensure the peace, safety and reconciliation between the different parties of Afghan society.  Al-Othaimeen said the summit would be followed by a Makkah declaration that would include a set of principles to form a roadmap for a peaceful solution in Afghanistan derived form Islamic teachings and by Muslims.