Sheikh Zayed International Peace Conference begins

The Sheikh Zayed Second International Peace Conference began yesterday in Kerala under the slogan: "Renaissance of the World Through Peace", which will be held as part of the Sunni Markaz 37th Anniversary Conference 2014 in Calicut, Kerala, India.
The conference comes at a time of exceptional circumstances witnessed by the world as many countries are witnessing disorders, congestion, wars and ethnic and sectarian tensions, which require further cooperation to achieve stability and security of their communities.
The opening of the conference was attended by Oommen Chandy, Chief Minister of Kerala, Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmad, Head of the Sunni Cultural Centre University, Saed Mohammed Al Muhiri, Acting Charge d' Affaires at the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, and Mohammed Hajji Al Khouri, Director-General of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, along with a number of ambassadors accredited to India, members of parliament and businessmen from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The one-day conference saw the attendance of more than 1,000 key political, cultural and social figures, intellectuals, academics and officials from a number of Arab and Islamic countries.
In a speech during the opening session, Al Muhiri expressed his delight at participating in the work of the Sheikh Zayed Second International Peace Conference.
He added that the significant contributions made by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in the fields of science, knowledge and development will be an approach and a guide to the people of the United Arab Emirates.
In his concluding remarks, Al Muhiri expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Government and people of India and those responsible of University and Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmad and all attendees.
In his speech, Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmad said, "The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was focused on the development and building of human resources and called to deepen the values of tolerance and dialogue in the face of the advocates of confrontation and conflict in the name of religion." He added that, "In this context, we sought through this conference to work on consolidating the thoughts of Sheikh Zayed and his permanent calls to boost world peace and coexistence between peoples of the world, noting the Indian experience in the peaceful coexistence of all different religions and denominations." He also commended the support of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, hailing the efforts of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates and expressing his appreciation for their humanitarian and charitable stances.
The Chief Minister of Kerala said that he valued the atmosphere of tolerance witnessed by the United Arab Emirates thanks to its leadership, a country which presented a developmental model not only in the region but in the entire world.
He said that the Sheikh Zayed conference sends an important message to the world on the importance of the message of peace.
During the closing session, Sheikh Abu Bakr Ahmad presented commemorative shields to the Acting Charge d' Affaires at the UAE Embassy in New Delhi, Mohammed Hajji Al Khouri, Director-General of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, and a number of senior officials, intellectuals and scientists who participated in the conference.
Source: WAM