Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been invited to attend the opening of the UMNO general assembly on Dec 10.

This was confirmed to The Star by party vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who reportedly said he hoped Dr Mahathir would accept the invitation.

"I am very sure that the letter of invitation will go out soon but whether he accepts or not is for him to decide.

"The majority of UMNO members still appreciate him but there is a line between respecting him and accepting his opinion, they are two different things," he told the English daily.

Before this, Dr Mahathir had been openly criticising Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the 1Malaysian Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and had repeatedly asked him to step down.

The UMNO general assembly is set to take place from Dec 8 to 12.