EPP-ED Group:

Politics and Religion

Islam

Brussels, 24 April 2002

Hans-Gert Poettering, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group:
need for deeper dialogue with the Islamic world

Meeting between the EPP-ED Group and the Islamic World Conference

On April 23 Members of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament led by their chairman Hans-Gert Poettering and of the Islamic World Conference, led by Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki, met for an inter-cultural dialogue.

The two-hour meeting was also attended by the Saudi ambassador to the EU as doyen of Arab ambassadors, as well as by Islamic representatives of the non-Arab world. The focus was international human rights.

In his opening speech Poettering recalled that his group did not only contain believers from the main Christian churches, and that great value was placed on dialogue between religions. The pre-condition for that was mutual respect.

"Europe has a strong desire for partnership and good co-operation with Mediterranean countries It should translate as quickly as possible into a common project." Poettering said. In this connection he praised the Saudi Crown Prince's Peace Plan for the Middle East.

Both sides agreed to continue and to deepen the dialogue both in the Arab world and in Europe.

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