The Madrid Declaration focuses on a common vision and principles acceptable to all, said Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary general of the Muslim World League (MWL), at a press conference here at the conclusion of the World Conference on Dialogue. He said that King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, had initiated the unprecedented inter-faith conference with a universal vision based on his conviction that the followers of divine messages and other religions and cultures have common values that are powerful assets in overcoming mankind's problems today. “We focused on this humanitarian vision of the King because the conference does not bear any specific political aim or ideology.” The MWL secretary general said dialogue was essential to clear the air about religion. Jews are followers of a distinguished religion and Moses (peace be upon him) is one of the prophets Muslims respect, he pointed out. “There are no problems between the Islamic, Jewish and Christian religions; but the problem stems from the followers' attitudes and practices,” he said. Delegates were invited to Madrid for their distinctive contributions in the fields of religion, dialogue or humanitarian service, he said. The secretary general called for integrating governmental and non-government efforts so as to ensure that the best values of religion and culture impact international relations. Dialogue leads to acculturation and correcting misconceptions, he said, appealing to the media worldwide to concentrate on shared commonalities. He also called for starting satellite TV channels focused on promoting inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. There was a common desire in Madrid to broaden the scope of the dialogue, he said, which would require an international forum like the United Nations. The Declaration made no mention of a convening another conference. Al-Turki said follow-up action would be on disseminating the culture of dialogue through holding symposia and conferences in different parts of the world. He said a working team would be formed to study ways to get past the obstacles to dialogue. The conference's recommendations are directed to all the institutions promoting dialogue, he said, adding that MWL and other institutions in Islamic countries and elsewhere have responded positively to holding meetings and symposia focusing on dialogue issues. __
