In Int'l Dialogue Conference:

World approves Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' interfaith, civilizations dialogue initiative

King Abdullah says focus on points of disagreement between followers of religions has led to fanaticism

Saudi monarch says terrorists, criminals are enemies of God; would never have emerged if tolerance had been in place

Fayyad: Palestinians pinning hope on world to end occupation, injustice

Bush: Dialogue gets world closer to a day where rights, dignity are available

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz received in New York United Nations' Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

At the outset of the reception, the UN Chief expressed his appreciation for King Abdullah's initiative in calling for dialogue between religions and cultures which will impart understanding and rapprochement between all nations.

Ban also pointed out to the response from a large number of Kings, Presidents and Prime Ministers in the world who would attend the meeting to be held at United Nations Headquarters, for dialogue between followers of religions.

The U.N. Secretary General said he will personally follow up the outcome of the meeting for activation to achieve the desired results that would have the rapprochement and peace among all peoples.

He also expressed his delight on the royal visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the United Nations' headquarters, saying that it would be the first visit by a Saudi monarch to the headquarters of the Organization since 1957.

Then, they discussed a number of events at the international arena, especially the situation in the Middle East and the stalled peace process in the region and the United Nations' efforts to bring about peace in a number of areas where there are emerging tensions and conflicts.

The meeting was attended by Prince Saudi Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Miqren Bin Abdulaziz, President of the General Intelligence and a number of ministers.

The United Nations' High-Level Meeting on Culture of Peace started at UN headquarters in New York with the participation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, kings, emirs, heads of Governments of a number of countries and heads of international bodies.

Upon arrival at the UN headquarters, the King was received by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and senior officials of the UN organization.

Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had a memorial photo-session at Ban's office. Then the monarch signed in a visitors' note book.

Following that, a number of issues relating to the United Nations High-level Meeting on Culture of Peace were discussed.

Then the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud paid a visit to the current President of the United Nations General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto in his office.

During the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques delivered the following speech:

"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Your Majesties, Excellencies and Highnesses,

His Excellency the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations,

Dear attendees:

Peace and God's mercy and blessings be upon you:

Before this gathering of the world leaders, and from the General Assembly, the conscience of the United Nations, today we say with one voice that religions wanted by God to make human beings happy should not be among causes for their misery. A human being is a counterpart and a partner of the other human being on this planet. Either they live together in peace and tranquility, or they will be finished by fires of misunderstanding, grudge and hatred.

The focus across history on the points of disagreement between the followers of religions and cultures has led to fanaticism. Because of this, destructive wars flared out and led to shedding much blood, which have been unjustifiable by logic or sound thinking. It is time to learn from the hard lessons of the past and to meet together on the ethics and ideals in which we all believe. What we differ on will be settled by God on the judgment day. Every tragedy witnessed in the world today is a result of abandoning a great principle of the principles called for by all religions and cultures. All the world's problems could only mean that human beings renounce the principle of justice.

Terrorism and crime are the enemies of God and the enemies of every religion and civilization. Had not the principle of tolerance and the wander surrounding the lives of many young people been absent, they would not have emerged.

The drugs and crime spread only after the collapse of family ties which God Almighty wanted that they remain strong and firm.

Our dialogue, which will be conducted in a civilized manner, is sure - God willing - to revive the noble values, and consolidate them among peoples and nations. There is no doubt, God willing, that this would represent a magnificent victory for the best in mankind's character over the worst in him, giving hope for a future where justice, security and noble life prevails over grievance, fear and poverty.

Dear friends:

I thank His Excellency the President of the General Assembly for organizing this meeting, and I thank my friends, the world leaders, for coming from the East and West of the world; and I'm proud of their friendship. Let me, please call on Madrid conferees to select a committee from among themselves to undertake the responsibility of dialogue in the days and years to come, confirming to them and to all countries of the world that our interest in dialogue emanates from our religion and Islamic values and from our concern for the humanitarian world and that we will follow-up what we started, and will extend our hands to all lovers of peace, justice and tolerance.

In conclusion, I remind you and myself of a verse from the holy Koran (O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you)

. May peace and blessings of God be upon you, thank you"

. In a key address at the outset of the meeting, the President of the current session of the United Nations General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Prockmann, expressed thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for calling for convoking a meeting for the followers of religions, considering this meeting as among the most important in the current time to confront the challenges facing the world.

He suggested that one of the thorniest problems facing mankind today is that half of the population of the world are suffering from starvation, malnutrition and poverty, hoping that the world could take steps to solve these problems.

Then the Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon delivered a speech welcoming the attendees and expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for calling for this meeting.

He said, "His Majesty, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, peace be upon you; your Majesties, leaders of countries and ministers, thank you all for coming to this meeting. Your presence indicates the importance of dialogue in the world today. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken upon itself the initiative to convene this conference. I thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for his crucial and vital role in holding this meeting.

Ban pointed out that the interaction between different religions and civilizations should be more simultaneously, stressing that there should be a dialogue such as Madrid's conference which was held at an invitation of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and gathered us from all religions, races, and colors.

Following that, President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines expressed her country's support for the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques calling for dialogue between religions, cultures and civilizations.

She presented a project, jointly with Pakistan, and adopted by 60 countries, encouraging dialogue, understanding and cooperation among religions and cultures for bringing about peace, noting that mutual understanding, interaction and dialogue between religions and beliefs constitute an important part of the alliance of civilizations, culture of peace and promotion of dialogue between the media and all cultures and civilizations.

For his part, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, expressed thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his initiative to convene a high-level meeting at the General Assembly of the United Nations. He highly valued the good results of the World Conference for Dialogue which was held last July in Spain, under the sponsorship of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and King Juan Carlos of Spain.

In his speech, Jordan's King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein commended the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his initiative to call for convening UN's high-level meeting on Culture of Peace on a basis far away from fanaticism.

He said that the prestigious position of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its respect and appreciation, especially in the Islamic world, have enabled it to lead this dialogue and to provide for it the reasons of success in this stage during which Islam is subjected to a lot of injustice and allegations due to the ignorance of some people of the essence of this religion that calls for tolerance, moderation and being far away from extremism, violence and isolation.

Then Lebanon's President General Michel Suleiman delivered a speech in which he said that UN's high-level meeting on "Culture of Peace" had a special importance with the participation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Kings, Emirs, Presidents and Heads of Governments.

He noted that the King's initiative for calling for dialogue between followers of religions, cultures and civilizations has been joined by many people for achieving common human gains to build ties of tolerance, mutual acceptance and respect for religious and cultural particularities. In his speech, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai expressed his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his efforts with regard to the issue of dialogue between followers of religions and his initiative to convene this meeting.

Then Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs delivered a speech in which he conveyed the thanks of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for his call to convene UN's high-level meeting on "Culture of Peace ", his presence, opening its work and his significant contributions to the promotion of dialogue between religions.

He believed that the dialogue has become a central pillar of policy in the national, regional and international efforts to achieve peace and sustainable development.

On his part, Morocco's Premier Abbas Al-Fassi commended in his speech the efforts of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in promoting the philosophy of dialogue between religions and standing behind the convention of numerous international forums aimed at strengthening this dialogue, its development and integration into the shared human values system with regard to religion and civilization.

He also praised the outcome of the World Conference of Inter-Faith Dialogue held in Madrid last mid-July under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and King of Spain.

US President addressing the conference of dialogue among followers of religions and cultures lauded the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, and said 'he has persuaded us all to meet and to talk about belief' adding that 'I do appreciate realizing the real strength of the belief'.

Bush thanked all countries which participated in the conference and said 'through dialogue we can work for peace and through dialogue everyone will feel the dignity bestowed on him by Allah Almighty'.

On his part, Pakistani President Asif Zardari highlighted the initiative of King Abdullah for convening the conference at the UN.

He noted that the initiative stands as a witness for King Abdullah's wisdom and praised his efforts for attaining development and progress in his country taking into account the importance of preserving the fundamentals and principles of Islam.

He also hailed the visit of King Abdullah to the Vatican for starting a dialogue between the most important religions, namely: Islam and Christianity.

Meanwhile Speaker of the Spanish Senate Francisco Javier Roho said in line with King Abdullah's initiative several leaders of the world have gathered to attend the conference.

He reiterated the support of his country to the initiative pertaining to dialogue and understanding among the various nations, and for the containment of extremism.

'We have welcomed the convening of the conference in Spain last July, he said.

On the other hand Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan welcomed the initiative of King Abdullah, and said it would positively contribute to the ongoing efforts for enhancing dialogue among followers of religions.

He noted that the settlement of the Arab Israeli dispute and enhancing the pillars of stability in Iraq are essential elements for realizing the global peace.

On his part, OIC secretary general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsan Oglu described the initiative of King Abdullah as the most important initiative among the similar initiatives.

The Muslim world and the OIC attach a great importance to the initiative and hope that it will yield positive results, he noted.

The initiative will positively contribute to the ongoing international efforts for bringing about peace and to enhancing understanding among the nations and followers of various religions, he added.

The Ruler of Fujairah, speaking at an interfaith summit that has been widely praised for advancing the Middle East peace process, urged world leaders to confront violence, extremism and terrorism.

Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed, a member of the UAE’s Supreme Council, was among dozens of heads of state and government officials to attend the summit at UN headquarters, convened on the initiative of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. During the event, King Abdullah spoke from the same stage as Israel’s president, Shimon Peres. Both expressed abhorrence for war and the need for more tolerance.

In a written address to the UN General Assembly, Sheikh Hamad called for a “culture of peace, non-violence and peaceful coexistence... to protect our communities from violence, extremism and terrorism”.

“We emphasize that diversity in beliefs, cultures and civilizations among nations and peoples forms a valuable human heritage which must be preserved through the upholding of our noble human and moral values,” he said.

“This should be done within a framework of mutual understanding and co-operation in order to achieve our common goals, including the combating of injustice and oppression, and the advocacy of justice, prosperity and peace.”

He said the Government sought to “promote harmony and peaceful coexistence among various ethnic and religious groups, and ensure their freedom to perform their religious rites in the UAE”.

Sheikh Hamad was joined in New York by a delegation from Abu Dhabi that included Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Reem Ibrahim al Hashimi, the Minister of State.

Sheikh Hamad had been expected to read his speech to the General Assembly, but he was removed from the speakers list at the last minute because of time constraints.

He met with the Lebanese president, Michel Suleiman.

Pakistan's president urged world leaders to follow the moderate Islamic principles advocated by his assassinated wife, Benazir Bhutto - dialogue, tolerance and opposition to extremism.

Asif Ali Zardari called terrorism, discrimination, and violence against women "un-Islamic."

Zardari invoked his wife's belief in a moderate, modern and loving Islam half a dozen times in his speech to a UN interfaith conference.

He said the high-level meeting must start a global quest for reconciliation.

Leaders of Egypt's religious establishment participated in the United Nations interfaith conference on Dialogue of Civilizations in New York.

The Egyptian delegation comprises of Dr. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar University, and Dr. Ali Gomaa, Egypt's grand mufti.

Dr. Tantawi emphasized that the Initiative's significance will help build the foundations for dialogue between religions and civilizations, and in the process will lead to the enhancement of peace, safety and security between nations. He pointed out that Islam urged its followers to establish dialogue with followers of other religions to benefit from the virtues and values that these religions bring to humanity.

For his part Dr. Ali Gomaa stated that "the Egyptian government and its religious institutions are extremely keen to support and enhance Arab, regional and international efforts to spread the principles of coexistence, peace, love, tolerance and moderation among world nations."

Dr. Gomaa, commended the efforts of the Custodian of two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia for initiating the two-day conference and that this effort contributes to international security and peace. He urged participant leaders to take practical steps to issue an international declaration to respect religions and beliefs and to criminalize the exploitation of religion in igniting racial discrimination.

Dr. Goma'a added that the rhetoric that religions are the cause for the current disputes are incorrect, stressing that disputes are all political and that they are due to discrimination and injustice. Dr. Goama'a concluded that cultural dialogues as well as dialogues between different religions are indispensable tools to achieving international, regional and local peace.

Among the leaders was the Israeli President Shimon Peres.

Peres had rare praise for the Saudi monarch, saying his initiative to end the Arab-Israeli conflict inspired hope that all countries in the Middle East could live in peace.

But Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal expressed disappointment that Peres only talked positively about parts of the Arab peace plan, and didn't mention others.

The plan calls for Arab recognition of the Jewish state in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from all lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war. But Israel objects to relinquishing all territory and the right of all Palestinians to return and it wants to keep a unified Jerusalem as its capital.

"It is not a peace proposal that you can divide into what is acceptable and what is not acceptable," Saud said. "It is a package deal and it was presented as a package deal. And so I think we still have a long way to go to be able to say that Israelis and Arabs see eye to eye on how they look at the peace proposal that the king has made.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown stressed the importance of peace in the Middle East, telling the conference that the creation of a Palestinian state side by side with an Israeli state «can be achieved by goodwill in the Middle East.