DW: Spain - Alliance of Civilizations Kicks Off in Madrid
Spain - Alliance of Civilizations Kicks Off in Madrid
A controversial new UN forum opened in Madrid Tuesday designed to avert what has become known as the clash of civilizations, in the wake of Sept. 11 and the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people. The Alliance of Civilizations is the brainchild of the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who launched it four years ago together with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to tackle intolerance and promote understanding, dialogue and reconciliation between world cultures. In 2005, it was adopted by the UN and now has the backing of more than 80 nations. The first Alliance of Civilizations Forum taking place this week aims to "mobilize those great majorities of the population who want to, and know how to, live in peace," said the Spanish premier in his inaugural address. "It wants to contribute to isolating extremist and intolerant discourses on the part of those who try to utilize religion or culture for political purposes." The forum seeks to "avoid the predicted clash of civilizations, by promoting security, understanding, tolerance, and mutual respect in a globalized world," he said.
Also attending are Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and former Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, the UN high representative for the Alliance of Civilizations -- along with some 400 other representatives from governments, international organizations, civil society groups and philanthropic foundations.Other participants in the forum's two plenary sessions will include Turkey's Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk, Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, Queen Noor of Jordan, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa and the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.
Labels: Alliance of Civilizations, EU, Religious tolerance, Spain
