D8 'must tackle' rising food and fuel prices

The D8 group of developing nations must tackle the issue of rising fuel and food prices at its summit here this week, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said on Saturday.

Iran rejected Malaysia's proposal to discuss the spiralling price of crude oil at the D8 talks, saying it was not the appropriate platform, the state Bernama news agency reported.

Iranian official Suleiman Pour said that, unlike Opec, "the D8 is an economic organisation to enhance economic cooperation among member states", Bernama quoted him as saying.

But Rais said the rising cost of oil was pushing up food prices worldwide and that it would be "unrealistic" to exclude it from the meeting. "Matters relating to the rising cost of oil and food, will be included in the deliberation," he said.