Saudi King appeals for dialogue to end disputes

Madrid - "Most of the dialogues (between religions) have ended in failure," said Saudi King Abdullah, inaugurating the three-day World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid on Wednesday, "To succeed we must emphasize the common link between us, which is a belief in God."

The representatives of other religions agreed. The Vatican described it as "an act of great courage," according to its representative, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. The President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder said it was a "significant and timely development."

The conference, however, was not limited just to the Abrahamic faiths. Approximately 200 participants, belonging to formalised religions from the world over, are attending the conference organized by the Saudi King.

This is not just the first such progressive step taken by the King Abdullah. He made history last November when he became the first Saudi monarch to have made an official visit to the Vatican, where he met Pope Benedict XVI.

Spanish King Juan Carlos also addressed the conference.

The moot comes at a time when there is much antagonism between the religions of the world. It attempts to weed out the communication deficit between these belief systems that have been leading to the conflicts of our age.

In an era where it is believed that religion, not nationalism (at least in that strict sense of the word) might be driving future wars, one wonders about the direction of the world itself and also hopes that such conflicts could be pre-empted in the form of meaningful dialogue between the different metaphysical belief systems of the world.

Agencies add: Saudi King Abdullah appealed for "constructive dialogue" to end disputes between the world's major religions as he opened an inter-faith conference in Madrid Wednesday.

"We all believe in one Allah... We are meeting here today to say that religions should be a means to iron out differences and not to lead to disputes," he said in an inaugural speech at the three-day World Conference on Dialogue.

He called for a "constructive dialogue to open a new page to reconciliation after so many disputes."

The conference is organised by the Muslim World League from an initiative by King Abdullah. Around 200 participants are attending, including representatives of the world's major religions.

Among them are the Secretary-General of the World Jewish Congress, Michael Schneider, and Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who is responsible for dialogue between the Vatican and Muslims.

"Most of the dialogue (between religions) has ended in failure...," King Abdullah said in the speech, delivered in Arabic. "To succeed we must emphasize the common link between us which a belief in Allah."

He said religion could combat many of the problems of modern society.

"Terrorism..., the breakdown of families, drugs, exploitation of the weak - all these are the consequences of a spiritual void."