Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization said if the Iranian delegates’ visas are issued, they will travel to Riyadh for the April 14 meeting.
“Similar to former procedures, a letter of agreement will be signed over sending Iranian pilgrims to Mecca if the two sides agree on its terms” he added.
The delegation would discuss arrangements for Iranians to attend this year’s pilgrimage as well as compensation for the relatives of 461 Iranians who died in a human crush during the event last year, Ohadi noted.
Ohadi stressed that issues such as Saudi Arabia’s plans for insuring the security of this year’s pilgrims and compensation for the relatives of the Iranians killed in last year’s tragedy will be high on the agenda during the meeting.
Thousands of people lost their lives on September 24 last year in a deadly crush after Saudi authorities blocked a road in Mina during a ritual, forcing large crowds of pilgrims to collide.
More than 2,400 pilgrims from three dozen countries died, according to a count by The Associated Press, a toll that would make the crush the deadliest event in the history of the hajj.
The Saudi government announced soon after the event that 769 people had been killed, but it has not updated the number since. Top Saudi officials at the time promised a thorough investigation, but no results have been made public.
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