Former US Vice President Al Gore speaks on “Bridging the gap between East and West” at the Jeddah Economic Forum on Sunday. (AN photo by Khidr Al-Zahrani)

JEDDAH, 13 February 2006 — Focused reasoning and intense dialogue that invite a full and courageous examination of the issues that our world is facing is the most important characteristic that helps to bridge East-West divisions.

This was the view expressed yesterday by former US Vice President Al Gore during his speech at the 7th Jeddah Economic Forum.

“The 21st century has to be a century of renewal, and our ability to overcome these kinds of cycles of disrespect and violence is the key to making it a century of renewal,” he said, alluding, like many other speakers at the forum, to the recent controversy that erupted over caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Commenting on the negative Saudi image in America and the treatment meted out to Saudi nationals and Muslims in the US after the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, he said that he and his Democratic Party colleagues have always opposed illegal detentions of Arabs and other people in the United States.

“Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it’s wrong,” said Gore, adding that there were people even in the current Republican administration who have worked to protect the human and civil rights guaranteed in the US Constitution, and to expose abuses that have occurred following the Sept. 11 attacks. He also criticized the thoughtless manner in which visas for Arabs are now handled.

Two of the world’s women personalities discussed issues related to their gender at second day’s sessions yesterday.

Cherie Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, made a plea for women’s rights, telling the Kingdom’s leaders that the dearth of women in the work force was undermining the Kingdom’s economic potential.

Cherie said Saudi Arabia and other countries that discourage women from pursuing careers, higher education and political office were squandering vital human assets. “It leads to a huge loss of human potential that has a massive cost for society, male and female,” Cherie said. “Human rights and development go hand in hand. Educating girls is one of the most important investments a country can make in its future.”

“I believe women will soon be allowed to vote in elections here,” Cherie said, calling the expansion of women’s rights an “irreversible trend.”

In another session, Irish President Mary McAleese urged the Kingdom to learn from Ireland’s economic transformation, which hinged on opening the country to the outside world and ushering women into the workplace.

McAleese said Ireland transformed itself in a single generation from an impoverished farm economy where women were expected to give up their jobs after marrying, to the world’s third-most unregulated economy after Hong Kong and Singapore.

“The Prophet’s first wife was herself a very successful businesswoman,” said McAleese, a statement that won a standing ovation from the women’s section of the audience. She also stirred rousing applause by opening her address with a prayer in Irish-accented Arabic: “Peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah.”

Lord Mayor of London David Brewer, speaking about the British experience in public private partnerships (PPPs), said that Saudi Arabia “could rely on its natural resources with a lopsided economy or go down the path of creating a more balanced economy.”

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said that living in the time of globalization meant that the world belonged to all humans and they must live together in tolerance and respect. “Distinguishing between one culture and the other was normal, but distinguishing is one thing and feeling superior is another,” he said amid cheers.

“Today is not a time of masters and slaves. Colonialism is over,” said Moussa. “The conflict among cultures is not just theories any more, he said and referred to the recent blasphemous Danish newspaper cartoons as “a dangerous and silly matter.”

He added that the freedom of speech is a great principle that should not be subjected to such manipulations lest it loses its credibility. He termed it as a mistake for Muslims to validate the Western provocateurs’ attempts to illustrate a conflict between East and West. “We all share the same enemies -- poverty, terrorism, ignorance and disease,” he said and hinted that he would present the cartoon issue to various parliaments, the EU Parliament to begin with soon.

On the other hand, German Orient Institute Director Udo Steinbach called for adopting a unified platform to manage the dialogue between East and West.

— With input from Hasan Hatrash, Roger Harrison, Wael Mahdi and Ebtihal Mubarak