WORLD IN BRIEF : SAUDI ARABIA : Call for Unity Marks Pilgrimage

Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage, which drew nearly 2 million faithful, climaxed with a call for Muslims to resolve their differences. Sheik Abdel-Aziz ibn Abdullah al Sheik, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading theologians, told pilgrims attending prayers on Mt. Arafat near Mecca: “Muslims must solve their problems within the Muslim family. Muslims are one body.” But he made no direct reference to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein or the split Hussein caused in Arab ranks when he invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2 and triggered the Persian Gulf War. In marked contrast to recent pilgrimages, this year’s hajj was not marred by violence.