Iran Proposes Global Action Against Violence And Extremism

Jakarta, April 22 (Antara) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has proposed "Global Action Against Violence and Extremism" (GAVE) to combat terrorism appropriately. "The proposal is more effective to combat terrorism," Hassan Rouhani stated during the Asian-African summit meeting here on Wednesday. Rouhani remarked that GAVE can be the solution to fight terrorism. He asserted that resistance against terrorism should be part of the agenda of the Asia-Africa Conference and considered in the basic principles and values in the "Bandung Message." According to President Rouhani, the basic principles of GAVE, among others, are the fundamental concept in the fight against terrorism with respect for human rights. Beliefs, religion, ethnicity, or race should be treated equally. Furthermore, the biggest betrayal in a religion is using it to legalize murder. GAVE must be initiated by religious and world leaders to fight against the justification of murder. "To fight extremism and terrorism, we need to find the reason behind the young generation joining terrorist groups," Rouhani emphasized. "It is also important to identify the economic and cultural roots of radicalism. Funding, political, and intelligence support to the terrorists must be stopped," he remarked. Earlier, Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh emphasized that the Ten Principles of Bandung provide a good solution to handle and prevent conflicts in Asia and Africa. "According to India's viewpoint, the best contribution of the AAC in 1955 is the Ten Principles of Bandung," Singh said, adding that the ten principles can serve as the best guidelines to averting conflicts in Asia and Africa. Therefore, he also called for the revival of the Bandung spirit of 1955 to cope with the problems currently besetting countries in Asia and Africa. The Ten Principles of Bandung comprised a ten-point resolution of the AAC in Bandung in 1955, calling for global peace and cooperation. The AAC in Bandung in 1955 is believed to have inspired the struggle for independence in Asia and Africa when the world was divided into two spheres of influence by the super powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) opened the meeting earlier in the day stating that the future of the world lies in the hands of Asia and Africa, thanks to their human resources and areas of economic potential. Therefore, Asian and African countries need to establish cooperation, which will help to transform the Asian and African regions into advanced and prosperous regions, Jokowi affirmed. "The present world is full of injustice. The new challenge is how to forge international cooperation based on justice and equality," he noted. He emphasized that a collective global leadership is needed to address the imbalances in the world, both politically and economically.