Suleiman”s Participation in U.N. Interfaith Conference Confirmed
A spokesman for the U.N. General Assembly president has confirmed that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman will attend this month”s U.N. interfaith conference in New York.
An Nahar daily said Thursday that Suleiman arrives in New York on November 11, heading a 40-member delegation, including several cabinet ministers.
The president will address the two-day conference on November 12, the newspaper said.
Israeli President Shimon Peres plans to join Saudi King Abdullah at the conference, Peres” office said Wednesday, raising the possibility of an unprecedented public meeting between the heads of state of the longtime adversaries.
The leaders of Jordan, Kuwait, Philippines, Pakistan, Qatar, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority have also confirmed they will attend, the spokesman for the U.N. General Assembly president, Enrique Yeves, told reporters.
U.S. President Bush George Bush is also expected to attend.
The conference is the second in a series of dialogues spearheaded by Abdullah. The first meeting was held in Spain in July.
The king has expressed interest in increasing inter-religious goodwill, encouraging meetings between sects of Islam and asking Muslims to reach out to their non-Muslim neighbors.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday described the upcoming conference as "very important" and said the international community encourages dialogue and reconciliation.
The initiative provides "a good opportunity to deepen understanding and appreciation of other religions and faiths and cultures, and all other problems, which will also create a favorable atmosphere, even for the resolution of political issues," he told reporters before heading to Kenya and later on to the Middle East.