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Thursday, December 26, 2024  
23 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1446  

Malaysian PM and Mahathir to meet over feud on Sunday

Malaysian PM and Mahathir to meet over feud on SundayHighly-anticipated peace talks between Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad and his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will take place on Sunday, sources and reports said.
An official in the prime minister's office told AFP that the meeting, aimed at resolving a bitter feud which has raged this year, will take place at 3:00 pm (0700 GMT) at Abdullah's residence in the administrative capital.
Sunday newspapers also said the meeting would be held at that time on Sunday, but differed over the venue.
Mahathir's office was unreachable for comment and an aide to Abdullah said the time and date for talks was a private matter and up to the prime minister himself to decide.
Abdullah and Mahathir last week agreed to hold talks to try to resolve their differences after months of public brawling which sent shockwaves through the ruling party, and brought warnings the government could be destabilised.
Both sides said they want to meet before the Hari Raya festival, which marks the end of Ramadan and is expected to be held on Tuesday.
Mahathir has said that at the meeting he will raise the issues that he has "been keeping in my heart" since he handed the top job to Abdullah in 2003 -- a decision he now says he regrets.
Infuriated by the axing of pet projects conceived during his two decades in power, including an abandoned proposal to build a new bridge to Singapore, Mahathir has accused Abdullah of incompetence, nepotism and corruption.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006