ABDULLAH CALLS ON MUSLIM AND WESTERN LEADERS TO FOCUS ON COMMON ASPECTS

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Monday called on the Muslim world and the West to shift their focus to aspects
that unite the two worlds to narrow the divide between them.

He said that instead of just focusing on the differences, leaders from both
worlds must also address issues that unite.

"It is quite clear to me that in attempting to reconcile the United States
or the West and the Muslim world, one must address not only the issues that
divide but alsothe factors that unite.

"To address the one while ignoring the other will not get us very far," he
said in his keynote address at the US-Islamic World Regional Forum here
Monday.

He said that contrary to some beliefs, the West and the Muslim world shared
many common aspects that should be nourished to effectively narrow the gap
between the two worlds.

"We need to focus on the many principles that we share, and the numerous
interests that are common. We must avoid the tendency to think that we are the
only custodians of what is good, while the other inhabits a dark and miserable
world," he pointed out.

Citing the example of the close relationships between the US and other
western nations and the Muslim-majority countries in the Southeast Asia,
Abdullah said that despite the historical burden of being colonised by some
western powers in the past, the Muslims in Southeast Asia wore their colonial
past easily.

"When we assess the state of relations today between the Muslim-majority
countries and regions of Southeast Asia and the United States and other western
nations, we will be struck less by a divide than by the powerful and diverse
ties that bind them," he said.

Abdullah said the US and Europe were among the most important trading
partners and investors for Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
"For the West and the Muslim world, we also have perhaps the most powerful
tie that can bind -- a common religious origin that links us to God through the
Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). Let us find in this common source the wisdom that
will help us heal the rift and close the divide amongst us," said the prime
minister.

After all, the divide between the two worlds was mostly driven by political
factors, such as the 60-year-old Palestinian issue and the invasion and
occupation of Iraq, which would remain as thorns on both sides, if the issues
persisted, he added.

The two-day forum beginning Monday, which is attended by some 100
participants from local and international institutions, aims to discuss relevant
issues between the two worlds.