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Arab and Israeli leaders attend rare UN dinner
Arab leaders, including the Saudi king, and Israel's president attended the same dinner, a rare encounter that the head of the United Nations hopes will promote understanding and talks.
- Agencies
- Published: 23:42 November 12, 2008
United Nations: Arab leaders, including the Saudi king, and Israel's president attended the same dinner, a rare encounter that the head of the United Nations hopes will promote understanding and talks.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hosted the dinner on Tuesday night for leaders attending a two-day UN conference to promote a global dialogue about religions, cultures and common values that was scheduled to start on Wednesday.
King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia asked the General Assembly to hold the conference as a follow-up to an interfaith meeting he organised with King Juan Carlos of Spain in July in Madrid.
"It's quite unique when you expect President [Shimon] Peres of Israel ... and many kings and leaders from the Arab world ... [sitting] down together and having dinner," Ban said.
The secretary-general told reporters he was not going to organise any meeting between the Saudi king and the Israeli president. Public meetings between Israeli and Saudi officials are extremely rare, and many Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, do not have diplomatic ties to Israel.
An AP photographer allowed to take pictures at the start of the dinner, for about 40 VIPs, said there was no contact between Peres and King Abdullah. The Saudi king walked by Peres towards his table, where he was seated next to Ban. The Israeli president was seated at a table some distance away.
Ban refused to disclose seating arrangements for the dinner, though he said all guests would be eating the same food.
"But sitting in the same room and engaging in [the] same functions - normally in the past they have not been sitting in the same place like this. That is again very important," Ban said before the event began. "I sincerely hope that through their participation in the meetings, and through this social-diplomatic gathering, they will be able to promote further understandings."
So far, 65 countries have asked to speak during the two-day meeting, said Enrique Yeves, a spokesman for General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann.
The kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the emirs of Kuwait and Bahrain, the presidents of the United States, Israel, Finland, Pakistan and Lebanon and the prime ministers of Britain, Qatar, Morocco, Djibouti and Egypt are expected to attend.
US President George W. Bush is speaking on Thursday and did not attend Tuesday night's dinner.
"The purpose of this meeting is to promote mutual understanding and address all the differences of opinions in the political or religion" area, Ban said.
"I hope that this will also create some atmosphere, favourable, conducive to address the differences of political issues."
The secretary-general said he would do his best to keep in mind the "opportunities" and try to promote further understanding between the Arabs and Israelis.
Ban said he had an hour-long meeting with the Saudi king on Monday and commended his initiative and efforts to get agreement on a final statement that will be issued at the end of the conference.
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