Jeddah (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Sunni and Shia religious leaders are to meet in the holy city of Makkah to make a plea together for an end to sectarian bloodshed, especially in Iraq, between Islam's two main branches. Organised by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and backed by Saudi Arabia, the meeting is set to start next Thursday, October 19.

It comes amid growing alarm over a conflict that is leaving hundreds dead every day and rising concern among Sunni Arab regimes, especially that of Saudi Arabia, at the growing political influence of Shia Iran.

The commitment of clerics is unlikely however to have an impact on the ground, unless the meeting becomes a regular forum for a peace process.

The influence of religious figures, particularly on the Sunni side, is limited. Among Iraqi Shiites, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest ranking religious figure, played an instrumental role in containing Shia frustrations with the US after the 2003 invasion, but as the sectarian violence intensified he has become increasingly distant in recent months.

Hopes are further circumscribed since most Shia ayatollahs have decided by and large not to travel to Saudi Arabia. One influential Shia leader who will attend is Jalal al-Deen al-Saghir who, with Sunni leaders like Mahmoud al-Sumaydai, has already prepared a document that is expected to be signed at the end of the Makkah meeting.

"The idea is not to heal the Shia-Sunni rift in Makkah," said Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. "But if influential leaders come together in calling on supporters to stop shedding Muslim blood, and it's done during Ramadan and in Makkah, it could have an impact."