UN hosts meeting of world’s religions
UNITED NATIONS - World leaders gathered at the United Nations
yesterday for a two day conference on inter-faith relations that was
overshadowed by uncertainty even before starting.
Seventeen heads of state was expected to attend, including US
President George W. Bush and the leaders of Arab nations and of Israel,
countries where religion and politics are especially sensitive.
The conference comes as US president-elect Barack Obama, who has
signaled greater flexibility for US foreign policy in mostly Muslim
geopolitical hot spots, readies to take power.
Two days of meetings will take the form of a debate in the UN General
Assembly under the official theme of “culture of peace.”
The conference was organized by the General Assembly president,
Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, a Nicaraguan Catholic priest who adopted the
leftwing liberation theology and served as foreign minister under
Sandinista rule.
However, the meeting comes at the call of Saudi Arabia’s King
Abdullah, who is keen for a UN follow-up to efforts at promoting
inter-faith dialogue in the “World Conference on Dialogue” held last
July in Madrid. King Abdullah, who rules as the head of an
ultra-conservative Wahabite Muslim royal family, went to Madrid seeking
“constructive dialogue” aimed at opening what he called “a new page of
reconciliation” among major religions.
The Madrid declaration that followed that meeting was noted for its
call for an international agreement on fighting the root causes of
terrorism.
This time it is not clear whether the session will end with a UN
resolution or a lower-grade declaration, said Enrique Yeves, spokesman
for d’Escoto. “They are still negotiating among themselves.”
Diplomatic sources said there was no chance of a resolution and
perhaps not even of a declaration because of splits between countries on
the nature of the problem in religion and politics.
One source said that Saudi Arabia had proposed a text inacceptable to
European countries because of a reference to the “mocking of religious
symbols,” an issue deeply offensive to Saudis, but seen as a free speech
matter in many Western states.
“It’s extremely sensitive. That raises important questions and could
create many misunderstandings,” the diplomat said.
The representatives of 65 countries are planning to speak, Yeves
said, including King Abdullah, Bush, Israel’s Shimon Peres, and
Britain’s premier Gordon Brown.
France is sending only former prime minister Alain Juppe, but “we
think it’s a good thing that religions talk,” said UN Ambassador
Jean-Maurice Ripert.
Ripert said that sending a serving government representative was
impossible.
“The idea is that we do not mix religious matters... with public
matters,” he said.
Wednesday,
AFP |