Conference in London on the future of Jerusalem
The Arab League Education, Culture and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), which takes Tunisia as its headquarters, will hold a conference at the royal institute for international studies in London on Jerusalem. It will last for three days and be attended by some 30 Arab and foreign figures.
The conference will start on Monday, December 13, with a seminar attended by Zuhdi al-Tarazi, Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Sheikh Ikrama Sabri; Patriarch of Jerusalem Michael Sabbah, a representative for the Coptic church, and archbishop Rayah Abu al-Asal of Jerusalem. Archbishop Ghafrael al-Saleibi will deliver a speech in the name of the Orthodox church in Antioch, in which he will talk on his church's position concerning the future of Jerusalem.
In the second session the participants will debate the religious and cultural heritage the Palestinians have. This event will be covered by Rashid Khalidi, Chicago University; a British writer who specializes in religious affairs, Karen Armstrong; Ibrahim Daqaq, the minister of planning in the Palestinian government, and Shadia Toukan.
On Tuesday, December 14, the seminar will be dedicated to discussing the political dimensions and international law and all things pertaining to the future of Jerusalem from this perspective.
This session will be monitored by Ghassan al-Tweini of the Lebanese daily al-Nahar. It will be attended by Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Mufid Shehab, the international law professor John Kingly, Jacque Ishaq from Jerusalem and the former US under secretary of state, Richard Murphy.
Interventions in the two last sessions will be read by Taimour Kamal, Faisal al-Husseini, Edward Said, Ghada Karmeh and the chairman of the political department at the PLO, Farouk al-Qaddoumi.
