JEDDAH/NEW YORK: A special UN General Assembly session on cultural and interfaith dialogue opens at the United Nations headquarters in New York today.

Organized at the initiative of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, the conference is expected to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the world.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he had received “an encouraging list” of dignitaries who would take part in the interfaith dialogue. “This initiative will be a very important one in which world leaders, and representatives from different faiths will sit together. They will provide us with very important momentum,” Ban said.

The interfaith dialogue is meant to deepen understanding and appreciation of religions, faiths and cultures, which will help create a favorable environment for the resolution of political issues, Ban said. The assembly has held two rounds of ministerial-level discussions on the topic in the past. This will be the first time that heads of state will take part in the discussions.

The UN chief met King Abdullah at his residence in New York on Monday evening and praised the Saudi leader’s initiative in promoting dialogue between the followers of different religious faiths and cultures. “Dialogue will certainly bring peoples and nations closer,” he told reporters.

Ban said he would personally follow up on the outcome of the two-day conference, adding that it would promote world peace. King Abdullah, who is the first Saudi king to visit the UN since 1957, will address the conference today.

King Abdullah and Ban discussed major regional and international developments, especially the situation in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, intelligence chief Prince Muqrin, Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf, and Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani attended the talks.

UN General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann has invited leaders of 192 member countries and observers, including the Vatican, to attend the conference, which will prepare the ground for an interfaith and intercultural meeting it will hold in 2010.

Enrique Yeves, a spokesman for the assembly, said a dozen heads of state and 40 to 50 government delegations have confirmed attendance.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said President George W. Bush would participate because “he believes that it doesn’t matter what religion you are. President Bush believes that we all pray to the same God.”

The landmark UN meeting comes on the recommendation of the World Dialogue Conference that was held in Madrid on July 16, which was attended by more than 300 leaders representing Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism.