Gul: Turkey Will Continue Efforts To Consolidate Channels For Dialogue

ISTANBUL - ''Turkey will continue her efforts to consolidate the channels for dialogue,'' Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Sunday.
International Symposium on ''Civilization and Harmony: Values and Mechanisms of the Global Order'' held in Istanbul ended today.
Speaking at the closing session of the symposium, Gul said, ''I must emphasize that the stated reasons for the decision by some European countries not to attend the meeting was totally unrelated to the essence and purpose of this important meeting.''
''We have come to the end of this very interesting symposium,'' Gul said, stating that, ''I am truly honored to host such a distinguished group of personalities who have dedicated their life-time intellectual work to better world.''
''The high quality and candidness of the discussions were very much fitting to the atmosphere of dialogue we want to advance among different culture,'' Gul noted adding that ''It was genuine, focused and in a sense operational, with a clear eye on the future of our dialogue. It is important that we do not only talk of dialogue but also engage in a real one. Because, a genuine dialogue is the only insurance for our common sense.''
''Indeed, the discussions of the past two days have clearly shown that we have so much to talk, share and learn from each other. The contributions of our intellectuals and academicians are therefore indispensable. I regret that some unfortunate circumstances forced the cancellation of the informal Foreign Minister's meeting that was planned to follow and therefore benefit from the conclusions of this important symposium,'' Gul emphasized.
Gul said, ''however, I am particularly pleased that this did not distract the valuable discussions at the Symposium.''
Gul said, ''I thank those of my colleagues from the OIC and the EU countries who spent sincere efforts to the last minute to contribute to the realization of the Joint Forum as was planned,'' noting that, ''anyway, now it is a time when there is an absolute need to focus on finding ways to promote harmony.''
GUL: PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, CULTURES AND COLORS CAN LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE
Gul said, ''good-governance, justice and tolerance prevailed in Andaluz, Roman or Ottoman Empires. People of Jerusalem, Balkans, Iraq, Africa or Latin America did experience in their history times of peace, harmony and prosperity. In our times, from European Union (EU) countries to the United States, from Malaysia to Syria or from Egypt to South Africa periods and spaces of co-habitation of people of different religions, cultures or colors do exist.''
''People from different religions, cultures and colors can live together in peace. However, the roots, seeds and practices of prejudice and intolerance are also still everywhere. Sometimes greed and selfishness, sometimes ignorance, illiteracy and dogmatism incite these feelings of religious-ethnic prejudice or exclusion. They show up as extremist ideologies, irresponsible leaderships or abusive policies. The result is political-military conflicts, humanitarian crises, poverty and misery. At this point, I should express my deep concern for the very recent surge of hostilities, violence and terror all around the world. Tragedies of the last few weeks or days in Gaza, Beslan and Samarra, India and Pakistan, Colombia and Nigeria are most distressing,'' said Gul.
''My concern is that every casualty, loss of every innocent life will deepen the negative feelings among nations,'' Gul stressed, noting that, ''every home, be it a refugee shelter or a sky-scraper, every school, shrine or temple demolished will leave deep scars, further aggravating these conflicts. I am concerned because this many tragedies might weigh too heavy to endure for the world. Urgent political response to all these issues seems necessary more than ever.'' Gul said, ''in our times, racism, xenophobia, religious and ethnic fanaticism, anti-semitism and prejudicial attitudes against tenants of certain creeds, nowadays especially against Muslims, continue to be challenges we must tackle.''
''I believe that all individuals, political movements, governments, nations and international bodies have a responsibility in confronting them. In this respect, as a politician, I see a priority role for political leaderships. Every effort at local, national or regional level to create the political, social and economic basis eradicating and discouraging contradictions is most valuable,'' Gul emphasized.
He said, ''my government's focus on reforms to improve the political, economic, cultural and social standards of my people should also be seen in this context. From the beginning, our political movement saw the exercise of fundamental rights on a basis of good-governance, transparency and accountability as a universal target,'' noting that, ''we also saw that, this target was mostly embodied in European Union standards in our age.''
Gul said, ''we also considered this process as a process of perfection which might always need improvement and correction to better. We believed that our people equally deserved to maintain its identity. Our moral values had to be respected. Our rich traditions had to be protected. Our experience has proved that these two are perfectly compatible.''
GUL: THE DIALOGUE AMONG US IS OUR BEST HOPE TO JOINTLY REINFORCE THE UNIVERSAL VALUES
Gul said, ''we have proved that a country, with 99 percent Muslim population, can achieve and implement highest standards of democracy and human rights.''
''We take the pride in the fact that we received overwhelmingly support from all segments our people in our efforts,'' Gul said pointing out that, ''Turkish people, men or women of every opinion, creed or income level perceived our targets correctly. They owned these targets and adopted them.''
Gul said, ''I also take pride that value of our experience has been acknowledged both in the West and the East. If our achievements inspire others, that would only be another source of pride for us. I don't mean putting models or examples in front of others,'' adding that, ''I fully agree that each society has the right to function benefiting also from its own culture, values and traditions.''
''Yet, this cultural relativism should not be used as an excuse for ignoring the existence and merits of universal values, let alone their abuses,'' Gul said, stressing that, ''values like human rights, democracy and rule of law are truly universal.''
Gul said, ''no single culture can claim that universal values belong to it alone,'' noting that, ''instead, these values are the product of mankind's collective wisdom, conscience and progress. This heritage includes the experiences and contributions of all nations and religions at different stages of history and at different geographies. This is an incredibly important point to recognize now. This is another reason why this symposium is of great significance. For, the dialogue among us is our best hope to jointly reinforce these universal values. We can thus build a peaceful, sustainable and just future thereupon.''
Gul said, ''a true dialogue can only occur when there is genuine respect for and understanding of other cultures and civilizations.''
''Indeed, if mankind is not capable of tolerating and accommodating cultural differences and plurality, there will be no room for a global society. The symposium has been an important instrument of dialogue and reflection. Our message is that our diversity is our strength, and that our pursuit for a better world unites us,'' noted Gul.
Gul said, ''Istanbul has been a fitting venue for such a venture. Binding continents and cultures throughout centuries, and yet being a powerhouse of modernity, development and coherence, this historic city symbolizes the future of our historic endeavor.''
''With these thoughts, I would like to thank all those who have made this possible, and look forward to continuing our dialogue in the time ahead,'' said Gul.

(GC-AY) 03.10.2004