Information Minister-called for deep dialogue between Muslim world and Europe
Syria-European Union, Politics, 2/19/2004

Syria's Minister of Information Ahmad al-Hassan said everybody is called on to participate in a deep dialogue and to listen more and more to the needs and aspirations of all peoples and nations in the world.

In a speech addressed Wednesday to the 3-day international forum on "The Moslem World and Europe: From Dialogue to Understanding" and read on his behalf by Mazen al-Sabbagh, the Advisor to the Minister of Information, the Minster said "we are all called on to benefit from science and its achievements for the best of humanity and souls, to get rid of hatred, fanaticism, hegemony." The Minister added that "today we are recalling the human thought and civilization as a source of our culture and valuesÉbut we are called on to increase our contribution in this thought as our region was the cradle of the first alphabet given to the whole world."

He stressed that the civilization of Arabs and Moslems had already given constructive fruits in Andalusia ( Today Spain ) where Ibn Roshd and Ibn Hazm are still there in the memory of history.

The Minister emphasized that the dialogue in itself represents understanding and rapprochement towards other individuals and peoples to form the needed thought and work for our present world to build a world of peace and security. He added that this international forum which groups the minds of Moslems and Christians who believe that human intellect is the only guarantor and the indicator to the right and reason. The international forum on "The Moslem World and Europe: From Dialogue to Understanding" is due to wind up Thursday. Several Arab and foreign universities, research centers and think-tank institutes are participating in the event.

Previous Stories:
  al-Ahram: European official welcomes Syria's ME peace initiative   (2/4/2004)
  EU envoy stresses that ME peace is impossible without Syria   (1/12/2004)
  EU envoy stresses need to resume negotiations on Syrian- Lebanese tracks   (12/27/2003)

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