French President Jacques Chirac pleads for dialogue between civilizations of East and West at the Inaugural Session of the Cultural Workshop for Europe - Mediterranean - Gulf States in Paris

President Chirac speaks to delegates, representatives of participating groups, organisations.

Paris - President Chirac launched in Paris the “dialogue among civilizations” workshop on Wednesday the 13th September 2006 to re-establish the confidence and understanding in a bid to reinforce the ties between Islam and the West.

In his speech which he made in the Elysee before more than 250 personalities from Europe and from the Middle East, at the time of the beginning of the workshop, the French leader said “we are threatened by a divorce of cultures, the West against Islam, laic against monk, North against South, the rich against the poor,” in reference to September 11, 2001 attacks and the controversial caricatures of Prophet Mohammed.

President Chirac, a few weeks after the Lebanese-conflict stated that “The dramas of the 20th century further aggravated the misunderstandings, the feelings of resentment” and that “The conflicts in the Middle East, which are all growing stronger and becoming linked up, not only affect our shared living space but are now at the centre of the instability in today’s world”.

French President declared that “The situation today has become urgent and we must dispel the stereotypes, the fears and bad memories and learn to rise above our differences and set about building our shared future.”

 “The demonisation of the West on one side and suspicion towards Islam on the other side - seen as an obstacle to modernity - are dangerous stereotypes which must be fought by a joint effort.”

 “To ward off the shock of ignorance, stupidity and arrogance, we must imperatively find the way of dialogue,” he noted.

The Anglo Arab Organisation, one of the sponsors at the conference, has an ultimate aim to promote better understanding and dialogue between the East and West to bridge their cultural and political divides in order to enhance the greater understanding and trust.  President of the AAO, Mr Nadhmi Auchi, and members of the Board of Directors were present at the workshop.

Auchi stated “Since its establishment, our organisation has strived to bring together opinions from the East and West with the intention of countering the ignorance mentioned by President Chirac” and “we strongly support his noble cause to address one of the world’s most dangerous cultural and political crises.”

 “We do not want the youth of the East or the West to grow up bearing with them negative perceptions about each other. We are brothers in humanity,” he added.

The Cultural Workshop will be over 12 months and it is seminar-based (non-governmental participation) and organized into sets of themes which are titled Cultural Divides, Memories, History & Safeguarding Heritages, Images & Writings, Religions & Societies, Social Modernisation, Education and finally, Shared Values / Common Values. 

Chirac made his own proposals, in particular the creation of a programme called “Erasmus Méditerranée” which could take the name of Averroès, and make it possible for students to spend one academic year in a European Union country different from theirs in order to bridge cultures and promote dialogue.

The workshop will last for one year and will next take place in Seville, Spain, in February, then in Alexandria, Egypt, in June.