UN Chief pays tribute to HM King Hamad

Manama, May 5 (BNA)-- The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for Bahrain's hosting of a major international conference on dialogue between civilisations and cultures. In a speech given on behalf of him by the UN Resident Coordinator Peter Grohmann, the UN Chief expressed regret for not being able to attend the conference, thanking the Bahraini government, Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and the conference's organising committee, headed by Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, for organising the key event. He also commended Bahrain's remarkable role in promoting dialogue between civilisations and cultures, praising the kingdom's deep-rooted civilisation and ability to foster values of tolerance and co-existence throughout its history. He stressed the need for more global efforts to work out mechanisms to settle conflicts and ward off social violence. He added that the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations Ambassador Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Nasser will present him with a report on the outcome of the conference. The UN Chief underlined the UN efforts to allay tensions all over the world and its ability to achieve that in many hot spots, expressing hope those accomplishments will be an inspirational source for participants in the conference. A O Q