Istanbul hosts global conference on dialogue
September 11, 2006
Turkish Daily News
The Eisenhower Fellowships conference, hosted by former President Demirel, will draw a number of top-level participants including Foreign Minister Gül, Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres
A number of high-profile politicians from Turkey, the Middle East and Europe will be attending an international conference on dialogue and understanding set to open today in Istanbul.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, Israeli Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin I˙hsanog˘lu are among participants of the two-day conference hosted by former President Süleyman Demirel.
The theme of the Istanbul conference, organized by the Eisenhower Fellowships, is “building networks for change.” Five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States that changed the world, the conference aims to “pursue dialogue, understanding, and collaboration on a number of issues that divide people in global confrontation,” organizers say.
Istanbul, which bridges East and West, offers a unique theater to share and make use of European and Middle Eastern experiences for a better future for all.
Specific topics that will be debated at the conference include education and culture, energy security, sustainable growth and environment, women in society, religion and politics, and prosperity for peace.
Gül, Moussa and British Minister for European Affairs Geoff Hoon are scheduled to address the first session at the conference today, which will focus on “East and West: Where They Can Meet, What They Can Share.”
NATO's former civilian representative in Afghanistan, Hikmet Çetin, Peres, Romanian Justice Minister Monica Macovei and Jordanian Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Shuair al-Ali will also address the conference today.
Speakers on the conference's second day will include Energy Minister Hilmi Güler, I˙hsanog˘lu and Danish Education and Religious Affairs Minister Bertel Haarder.
The Eisenhower Fellowships was founded in 1953 as a tribute to Dwight D. Eisenhower by his friends as he assumed the U.S. presidency. It aims at “greater understanding among individuals” since this would foster “greater understanding among nations, contributing to the peace and progress of all countries and all people.”
Eisenhower Fellowships engages emerging leaders from around the world “to enhance their professional capabilities, broaden their contacts, deepen their perspectives, and unite them in a diverse, global community.” The group has been headed by John S. Wolf, former U.S. assistant secretary of state and ambassador to Malaysia, since August 2004.