Jordan Times
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
'Amman Declaration' urges more dialogue between West, Muslims
AMMAN (Petra) — Jordan and Spain on Monday signed
a declaration, calling for more dialogue, cooperation and understanding between
Western and Muslim civilisations.
The “Amman Declaration” stresses that ties between the two cultures should be
built on integration and mutual respect rather than clash and rivalry.
It urges Arabs and Muslims in the West as well as Western communities in the
Arab and Muslim worlds to extend bridges of understanding and accord between the
two civilisations.
The document, signed by Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib and his Spanish
counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos, also calls for confronting extremist
ideologies and preventing terror groups from imposing their agendas.
Highlighting the importance of the Amman Message, the declaration supports the
Cultural Alliance Initiative which was launched by Spain.
The Amman Declaration cautions against using the freedom of speech to vilify
religious beliefs of nations.
Moratinos accompanied King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia during a three-day
official visit.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania yesterday received the Spanish royal couple, who
are expected to meet with Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, Senate President Zeid
Rifai and House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali.
King Carlos was also scheduled to address the Spanish-Jordanian Business Forum.
On Monday, King Abdullah told the Spanish El Pais daily that establishing peace
in the Middle East was likely to help create a region free of weapons of mass
destruction. Peace cannot be achieved, he said, without finding a solution to
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The King reiterated that the Iranian nuclear issue should be addressed through
dialogue. “If we say no to Iran's nuclear weapons, we should say no to other
countries,” he said.
King Abdullah said he told EU leaders that the disruption of aid to the
Palestinians would aggravate the situation in the Palestinian territories. King
Abdullah described the Spanish monarch as “a voice of moderation whose hand was
always extended to Jordan and other Arab countries.”
Earlier Monday, Khatib and Moratinos discussed bilateral ties and ways to boost
cooperation between the two kingdoms.
The two officials also held talks on regional developments. They stressed the
need to continue channeling humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and support
efforts to resume peace talks in line with the roadmap, the Arab Peace
Initiative and international resolutions.