`UNGA`s culture of peace meeting is about common values`

United Nations, Nov 12 (PTI) The two-day high-level "Culture of Peace" meeting that the United Nations General Assembly is holding is not about religion but common values, its president Maguel D'Escoto has said.

D'Escoto said religion is a "very decisive subject" and discussions will centre on areas uniting the international community.

The meeting is not expected to adopt any resolution but a consensus statement is likely to be issued. However, it would provide platform for discussions on various world issues such as hunger and poverty.

"We are going to talks about something that is much more capable (than religion) in uniting us all which is our values whether they are faith-based values and whether they come form different ethical, philosophical traditions," D'Escoto told reporters about the purpose of the meeting.

Heads of State and senior government officials from the
U.S., Britain, Israel, Palestine along with representatives
from more than 70 countries will take part in the event being
held at the initiative of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

India will be represented by Minister of State for
External Affairs E. Ahmed.

"We're here to talk about... tapping our innermost values
and putting them at the service of decision-making, of
resolutions, of actions to help the world come out of the
multiple converging crises of the moment," D'Escoto said,
referring about the issues like climate change, terrorism and
the current economic turmoil.

Despite talk of the need for a Wall Street "bailout," it
is humanity that needs assistance, he said, since it is "moral
bankruptcy" that is preventing countries from fulfilling
commitments to ending poverty.

Expressing his support to the gathering, Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon said the values it aims to promote are
common to all the world's religions and can help us fight
extremism, prejudice and hatred.

He said, King Abdullah has made a tremendous effort in
bringing this initiative to the General Assembly. The
anticipated high-level turnout is testimony to its timeliness
and importance.

Asked about the purpose behind the meeting, Ban said, "We
need to be very realistic and practical. In fact, the world
has suffered a lot because of the lack of appreciation, the
lack of understanding, and mutual respect and the differences
of opinions in religions and faith and culture. This is a good
start towards reconciling them."

"I sincerely hope that this will be a very good start. At
the end of the meeting, we will have a statement which [will]
have been agreed by Member States participating in this
high-level meeting," he said.

However, the U.N. chief parried a question about U.N.
being used as a platform for conference on religious
tolerance.

"I hope that through our meetings of this kind of
high-level dialogue the whole world will be able to live in a
society where more tolerance and a more harmonious and more
peaceful atmosphere exist," he replied.

Ban said that 'Culture of Peace' is an open ended meeting
and there is no restriction to representatives from any faith.

"When there was a (inter-faith) meeting in Madrid ... in
July, I think all religious leaders from Hinduism, and Taoism;
they were all there. And they adopted the Madrid Declaration,"
he said.

However, the U.N. meetings can only be attended by the
member States and it is for them to nominate who would speak
on their behalf. PTI