JEDDAH, 16 December 2005 — The Fifth National Dialogue Forum “Us and Others” concluded yesterday with the presentation of a unified national vision related to how citizens should approach bridging the cultural gaps with outsiders.

This is the first time the forum issued a so-called “National Vision” paper summarizing the results of the talks. Previously, the forum issued recommendations, but this time an attempt has been made to solidify more concrete actions that can be taken in dealing with the outside world.

King Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center Secretary General Faisal ibn Muammar presented the first draft of the policy paper to forum participants, giving then a chance to make any final suggestions. Afterward the National Vision paper was handed to the media.

The main topics addressed in the paper involved:

• Dealing ethically and in a civil way with foreigners living in the Kingdom, enforcing the rules already in place to protect their rights;

• Taking advantage of the Haj and Umrah seasons by instituting cultural exchange programs with visiting Muslims from all over the world;

• Increasing the amount of printed materials, such as government press releases and books, offered in multiple languages inside the Kingdom;

• Utilizing Saudi embassies and consulates to offer more opportunities for dialogue in other countries;

• Boosting the amount of educational exchanges with students and researchers; and

• Interacting with outsiders at an international level to address a range of social issues, such as human rights, women’s empowerment, poverty and unemployment.

Before reading the National Vision paper, Muammar addressed an issue raised in the forum as well as in the media coverage of the talks. He said the issue of inter-Saudi diversity and differences was a starting point for engaging outsiders, but that outsiders should not be allowed to employ differences among Saudis in order to create divisions among the people of Saudi Arabia.

Some participants expressed to Arab News contempt for the results of the forum and the way the dialogue has been directed. Others felt that this was a step in the right direction.

“What happened in the last days is very positive,” said Sulaiman Al-Hatlan editor-in-chief of Forbes Arabia. He added that the forum was more like a social training tool, not only for the speakers but also for all participants.

“Though some participants held on tightly to their original ideas, it became obvious that their tone has softened after a while,” said forum panelist Thoraya Al-Oraidh.

All participants agreed on one thing: It was a brave and positive step to provide live televised coverage of all forum activities for the first time.

Shiite scholar Sheikh Hasan Al-Nimer, who called Wednesday for the recognition and discussion of the different schools of Islamic thought that exist in the Kingdom, said: “Live airing of the sessions is the most important factor that distinguishes this forum from previous ones.”

Samar Al-Sagaf, dean of girls section in King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, said that Saudis must first define and agree on the vision that they want to sell to the “Other”, and that they must try to eliminate the stereotypes and misunderstandings outsiders have about the Kingdom.