HE Abdulaziz Al Nasser's Statement Before the 10th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue

Doha, April 23 (QNA) - HE Nassir Bin Abdulaziz Al Nasser , the high representative for the alliance of civilization of the United Nations has called upon all religions , beliefs and faiths without exception for dialogue . In his statement before the opening session of the 10th Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel here on Tuesday, HE Al Nasser said," Is it that faith , whatever its content, unites us through its spiritual elevation. The implicit meansing here is a call to focus on what we all share: faith .Let us then welcome all faiths and beliefs - and i say all to the table.Let the conversation be always inclusive," said HE Al Nasser. AL Nasser conveyed thanks to HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani foir sponsoring and supporting interfaith dialogue as one of the main pillars of the foreign policy of the state of qatar ,who is an active member of the UN system. It is of historic significance that institutions like our host- the Doha Centre For Interfaith Dialogue( DOCID) -celebrate faith at a global level. As high Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations of the United Nations, my visions to use the Alliance as a soft power tool of preventive diplomacy which is stipulated by the UN Charter, he said. That being said, I have stated that I will use mediation as one of my priorities during my leadership of the Alliance being one of the tools used to diffuse tensions stemming from cultural differences, and to bridge the gap between identities, beliefs and traditions, in line with the Reported of the high Level Group Which gave birth to the Alliance, HE Al Nasser added. It was indeed an honour, that Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, the First Lady of the State of Qatar was among the Distinguished panel that produced this report. Her Highness patronage of the Alliance, remains fruitful and outstanding in many ways. HE AL NASSER went on to say," In Brief the complex and challenging world of the 21st century, where not a single question, any question has simple, easy answer. Today more than ever in the history of humankind, at every step in our daily life, we are faced with difficult moral, social, political and philosophical questions. They have the potential of troubling our personal peace, as well as that of our community and the world beyond, In such a context, re-connecting with our faith and its spiritual elevation and clarity can save us from taking the wrong path, doing harm t ourselves, to others and the world. Who among great figures of history, from prophets of religion to famous statesmen, have not relied on their faith to make the right decision? isn't, after all, the strength of the leader bound by the extent of the responsibility he is entrusted with for the service and development of his own people? At the grave hour of decision making, leadership today, can only be well-deserved if the leader inspires his strength from the goodness inherent to spirituality, faith and human rights. The qatari diplomat said ," It goes without saying that in accordance with my mandate , interfaith dialogue is high on my agenda in this regard.I will engage all faiths and seek their cooperation and support , so that together we can heal the wounds of a world crying for relief from intolerance , extremism and terrorism , as we have seen recently in the republic of Mali. Furthermore , i will explore with both faith communities and cultural institutions and personalities the possibility of organizing interesting and useful events among to mention a few, a world festival of sacred music , to bring together in one strong moment of aesthstic pleasure the transcendence of faith and the sublime dimension of music as pacifiers of the mind and the soul and as a source of hope and human fraternity in a world often in despair because of the rampant hegemony of materialism, HE Al Nasser told the attendees. HE Al Nasser went on to say," Who better than faith leaders to sow the seeds of peace in the hearts and minds of their flock and thus prepare the ground for the give-and-take of traditional diplomacy". The Qatari Diplomat further said," I can see in the agenda item "Conflict Resolution and Peace" of this conference echoes my own philosophy concerning the power of faith and interfaith dialogue in conflict resolution, as I have just explained. The complexity resolution and peace-building available in our toolbox, beyond the tools of traditional diplomacy and including resorting to international Law. Concluding Al Nasser said," I pledge to you for my part, as I have done so in addressing the Vienna forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, that I will do everything I can during my five-year mandate as High Representative to engage faith leaders at all levels, including the highest level, to invite them to act as partners of the Alliance of Civilizations for the achievement of peace and security for all". (END)