New York, September 6 {No. 2000-78} - On the eve of the Millennium Summit, ten Heads of State participating in a round table at the United Nations shared their views of how the Dialogue Among Civilizations could lead to a new paradigm of international relations that recognizes universally shared values while preserving and respecting cultural diversity.

The round table was organized yesterday by UNESCO, in cooperation with the United Nations and with the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to launch the United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, 2001. Iran proposed the 1998 General Assembly resolution proclaiming the Year, which will emphasize that globalization not only poses economic, financial and technological challenges, but also requires renewed recognition of the equal dignity of individuals and cultures.

"I am convinced that getting to know the cultures of others, listening to what they have to say, dispels hatred, ignorance and mistrust, and helps to build peace," said the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura. "We must learn to recognize what each culture owes to all other cultures."

"Many nations and peoples nurse long-standing memories of historic grievances and cultural slight," Mr. Matsuura continued. "Only dialogue stands a chance to resolve them - never war or aggressive behavior. Dialogue alone can lead to long-term understanding, reconciliation and peace."

"The United Nations itself was created in the belief that dialogue can triumph over discord, that diversity is a universal value and that the peoples of the world are far more united by their common fate than they are divided by their separate identities," stated UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "Alongside an infinite diversity of cultures, there does exist one global civilization in which humanity's ideas and beliefs meet and develop peacefully and productively."

"Promoting a dialogue in this arena of culture in disparate societies [should be] one of the bedrocks of understanding between cultures and civilizations," said Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. "The proposal for a dialogue among civilizations builds upon the study of cultural geography of various fields of civilization. Believing in dialogue paves the way for vivacious hope; the hope to live in a world permeated by virtue, humility and love, and not merely by the reign of economic indices and destructive weapons."

President Khatami continued: "Member States of the United Nations should endeavor to remove barriers from the way of dialogue among cultures and civilizations, and should abide by the basic precondition of dialogue. This fundamental principle rejects any imposition and builds upon the premise that all parties to dialogue stand on essentially equal footing."

"Dialogue Among Civilizations must enable all of us to pursue the higher goals of peace, tolerance and civil dignity," noted Sam Nujoma, President of Namibia. "In all that we do as world leaders and individual human beings, we must put at the center of our decisions and undertakings the well-being and dignity of all people. It is my firm conviction that the call for international cooperation and tolerance for human diversity is the key to building democracy and sustainable economic development in the world."

The President of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, told the round table that the goals of the Dialogue Among Civilizations provide "a genuine antidote for racism and all forms of discrimination. The merit of dialogue lies in Man's quest for universality through the numerous cultural expressions it has taken on throughout time and space." President Bouteflika added that the Dialogue Among Civilizations must involve all segments of society and age groups and that it must "be a multi-faceted one, comprising different fields of life, of which dialogue between religions is an integral part."

Abdurrahman Wahid, President of Indonesia, stressed the importance of dialogue within multicultural societies as well as among nations. "If we have a true dialogue among civilizations, we have to be aware of internal developments within our own countries," he said, remarking that the "challenge of the world" is to balance internally the dual forces of modernity and traditionalism.

"The Dialogue Among Civilizations is not an ancient, abstract notion; it is very much a fresh and badly needed approach to help us understand each other better and to capture and respect complexities and diversity in a globalizing world," commented Olusegun Obasanjo, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "I truly believe that we are making a great leap forward in the realization that peace is bound up inextricably with a clear understanding and respect for the mutuality of the diversities of human heritage and identity." President Obasanjo also saw the Dialogue Among Civilizations as an opportunity to expunge "the negative force of racism."

"For some time to come into this new century, a degree of soul-searching is an imperative for all dialogues between Africa and the world until the ghost of racism is finally laid to rest," he said.

"Civilization is everything that makes Man different from an animal, everything that makes humankind truly human," said Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of Latvia. "It is incumbent upon us to tell our view of the world, but also to listen to others not just with an open mind but with an open heart and spirit." The Dialogue Among Civilizations, she added, means "showing respect and appreciation for the achievements of others and to hope that they do the same for us."

The political theory that the post Cold War world would see a "clash of civilizations" resulting from cultural differences both within and among nations was flatly rejected by Sheikh Hamad Bin Kalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. "This hypothesis is replete with contradiction and is inconsistent with historical facts and with reality," he said. "The shrinking of distances in the world as a result of scientific and technological breakthroughs might, for instance, result in bringing people closer together, when they discover that despite differences in color, religion and language, major common and shared interests bind them."

"Proceeding from our Arab Islamic civilization, we, in fact, utterly reject such orientations" that cultural differences must lead to conflict. "In our view, differences among people are reasons for cooperation and collaboration, for the welfare of all."

"Past years have strongly reinforced my conviction that we must create a world architecture which is in line with the new realities of current geo-culture and geopolitics," remarked Edouard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia. "To prevent the devastating manifestations of xenophobia, ethnic cleansing and intolerance. To develop not merely the dialogue of cultures, but elaborate a system for the interaction of cultures."

The Dialogue Among Civilizations must be based "on the preservation of life and the rejection of all forms of violence," said Alpha Omar Konaré, President of Mali. He commented that there must not just be a dialogue among cultures "but a system for the interaction of cultures. I hope our dialogue will become an important factor in the globalization process."

"This dialogue is the right moment for us to understand our past, to interrogate the present globalization process and together, by bringing our diversity to the dialogue, imagine and shape the future of human civilization," stated Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of Mozambique. "It is imperative to seek a common ground for a continuous and open dialogue among us, the peoples of the world, with a view to allowing a harmonious existence of humanity by accepting our cultural diversity and the right to be different, thus strengthening our commitment to peace and development of our peoples."

Also taking the floor were the foreign ministers of Costa Rica and India.

"Globalization only makes sense if it permits coexistence of all peoples in dignity," stated Roberto Rojas, Minister of External Relations and Culture of Costa Rica.

"I trust that the Dialogue Among Civilizations would promote this sense of indivisible mutual belonging and thereby nourish the feeling that a community's or a civilization's ascent cannot be complete until it is accompanied by the progress and advance of the entire human family," commented Jaswant Singh, India's Minister of External Affairs.

In addition to the Heads of State who spoke, Burhanuddin Rabanni, President of Afghanistan, and Omer Hassan El Bashir, President of Sudan, attended the round table.

Vilayat Guliyev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Amre Moussa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Tarik Aziz, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State of the United States of America, and Sayyid Faisal Bin Ali Bin Faisal Al-Said, Minister of National Heritage and Culture of the Sultanate of Oman, were also present at the round table.

A second discussion in the afternoon featured eminent thinkers from around the world. Mr. Matsuura chaired the session, which was moderated by Giandomenico Picco, Special Representative of the Secretary-General.