“King Abdullah’s initiative will have great impact on international relations and peaceful coexistence of nations,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Swiss Ambassador Peter Reinhardt as saying.

During a meeting with Muslim World League (MWL) Secretary-General Abdullah Al-Turki in Makkah, the ambassador also noted the outcome of an interfaith dialogue conference organized by the MWL in Geneva last year.

The Geneva conference, held in October 2009, emphasized the need to nurture a culture of dialogue among the younger generation to make the king’s historic initiative a success.  The two-day conference called for joint efforts by people of all faiths to eliminate poverty, protect the environment and prevent weapon manufacturers from exploiting conflicts and wars. It also proposed a satellite channel to promote dialogue.

Plans are under way to establish an international center in Vienna to promote King Abdullah’s interfaith dialogue initiative.

There is also a plan to set up an international committee on interfaith dialogue including prominent personalities from across the world.

In a previous statement, the MWL chief said the interfaith initiative would give a message to the world that Islam and Muslims stand for peace, and that the government and people of Saudi Arabia want to make their contributions to world peace by promoting dialogue among the followers of different faiths.

Al-Turki said the main objective of the Geneva conference was to spread human values that are shared by all religions. “This will encourage them to work jointly to solve pressing humanitarian problems, such as poverty, family violence, drug abuse and terrorism and violation of human rights,” he said.

During his meeting with Al-Turki, Ambassador Reinhardt highlighted the role of Muslim communities in Western countries in boosting dialogue between Islam and the West. He praised the MWL’s efforts in the service of Muslim communities all over the world.