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Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's prime minister held closed-door talks with opposition leaders in an unprecedented effort to tackle ideological disputes in the majority-Muslim nation, officials said on Monday.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi revealed Sunday that he met senior officials from the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party three times since general elections in March, when Abdullah's ruling United Malays National Organisation party suffered a major electoral setback.
Badawi's party and the Islamic opposition have long been deeply suspicious of each other. The talks are unlikely to herald any rapprochement between both sides, but they illustrate efforts by majority Malay Muslims to address ideological differences.
Badawi said they discussed the influence of Islam on Malay politics and unity, stressing that the government believes "it is very important that we don't fight about matters relating to religion."
Both the ruling party and its rival draw support from ethnic Malays, who comprise nearly two-thirds of Malaysia's 27 million people. Badawi's group leads the 14-party National Front government coalition, while the Islamic party is part of a three-member opposition alliance.
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