ISTANBUL, 13 February - Saudi Arabia yesterday spoke out against the concept of a clash of civilizations and said the new world order should be established on the concepts of cooperation, integration, dialogue and understanding.
Addressing a forum of foreign ministers from the European Union and Islamic states in Istanbul, Dr. Nizar Obaid Madani, assistant foreign minister, reiterated the Kingdom's support for dialogue to promote mutual understanding among nations and peoples.
He added that Islamic countries have rejected terrorism in all its forms, adding that they have cooperated with the international efforts to fight terrorism. He blasted the trend to attribute terrorism to Islam, its civilization and followers after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
"We believe that the objectives and interests of those who carried out the terror attacks and those trying to link terrorism with Muslims and Arabs are identical, as both parties wanted to create a deep chasm between the Islamic world and the West," he explained.
The Saudi minister stressed the need for reaching an agreement by the international community on the concept of terrorism and its definition. He said that any call for peace will be fruitless until the Palestinian people regained their full rights.
Madani reaffirmed the desire of the Islamic world to reinforce global peace and security and to save humanity from the consequences of war and conflict.
