M'sian Foreign Minister Positive No Haj Quota Restriction On Malaysians

KOTA KINABALU (Sabah, Malaysia), June 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia believes Saudi Arabia will not impose any restriction on the Haj quota for the country following the Bersih 3.0 demonstrations in Mecca and Medina, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman. He said he understood this after having explained to his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, that demonstrations were not a cultural phenomenon indulged in by Malaysians. "I believe the Haj quota for Malaysia will not be affected owing to the good relations between our prime minister (Najib Razak) and the ruler of Saudi Arabia (King Abdullah) and my close relationship with the Saudi Arabian foreign minister. "They had wanted an assurance that such an incident will not recur," he told reporters, here, Sunday night. Following the rally in the two holy cities on April 26, the Saudi Arabian government was reported to be considering restricting or suspending Malaysians from performing the umrah and Haj. -- BERNAMA