IN MESSAGE TO ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE FOREIGN MINISTERS SESSION, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED FOR PEACEFUL DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS

28 June 1999

Press Release
SG/SM/7050

IN MESSAGE TO ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE FOREIGN MINISTERS SESSION, SECRETARY-GENERAL STRESSES NEED FOR PEACEFUL DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS

19990628 Kofi Annan Pledged Continued Commitment to More Active Cooperation With OIC

Following is the text of the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the Twenty-Sixth Session of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which was delivered on his behalf today in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, by Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Ibrahima Fall:

Allow me to begin by expressing my profound gratitude to His Excellency President Blaise Compaoré, the Government and the people of Burkina Faso for hosting this conference and for their hospitality; to warmly congratulate Mr. Youssouf Ouedraogo on his election as Chairman of the Twenty-sixth session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers; and to pay tribute to His Excellency Azeddine Laraki, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, for his wise and dedicated leadership in increasing the role of the OIC in world affairs and for the tremendous efforts he has undertaken to enhance the partnership between the United Nations and the OIC.

Our respective organizations have been close partners for nearly a quarter century. That cooperation has intensified in recent years, not only in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peacemaking and peacekeeping, but also across the spectrum of work carried out by the United Nations family of agencies, programmes and funds. I look forward to deepening these ties still further.

This session takes place against the backdrop of the ongoing suffering and upheaval in Kosovo. I very much value the dialogue I have enjoyed with the OIC since the beginning of the crisis and over the course of the diplomacy that was carried out these past several weeks. I also know that the refugee population has greatly benefitted from the humanitarian assistance that was provided by several OIC members. As the hard work of peace-building and reconstruction now proceeds, I look forward to continuing cooperation with the OIC to help the people of Kosovo create a peaceful, democratic and multi- ethnic society, with safety and security for all.

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Our cooperation on political matters extends to many other conflict zones, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Tajikistan, Armenia-Azerbaijan and Iraq. On the economic and social side, our organizations continue to focus on the ten priority areas identified at last year's general meeting in Geneva. Those priorities, ranging from trade and human resources to environmental protection and the eradication of illiteracy, provide a template for wide- ranging cooperation. So there are good prospects for progress, provided we continue to enhance the actual mechanisms by which we work together.

Last September, President Khatami of Iran, the current Chairman of the OIC, gave a memorable speech in the United Nations General Assembly calling for a "dialogue among civilizations and cultures instead of a clash between them". The Assembly has since decided to proclaim the year 2001 as the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations.

The dialogue among civilizations must be peaceful. It must occur not just between societies but within them. It must be a dialogue of mutual respect, based on a framework of shared values -- values such as those found in the United Nations Charter, like equality, justice and dignity -- within which different traditions can coexist. Such a dialogue can serve as an inspiration to all humanity. It can help us learn from each other. It can help us rise above the intolerance and conflicts that have blighted our history and undermined human progress.

I will be expanding at greater length on this subject in an address today at the Centre for Islamic Studies at Oxford University. The text will be available in all six United Nations languages and I look forward to engaging with all of you in a dialogue about the dialogue. I am pleased to note in this context the declaration adopted by the OIC at last month's symposium in Teheran on this subject, and also the recent OIC agreement to create its own inter-parliamentary union, which will no doubt improve dialogue and enhance your voice on the international scene.

In closing I wish to express to you my best wishes for a successful conference and to pledge the continued commitment of the United Nations to more active cooperation with the OIC.

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