Three-day US and Islamic World Forum Concludes

Doha, June 03 (QNA) - The US and Islamic World Forum concluded in Doha on Wednesday. During the three-day forum, participants discussed many important and strategic issues of concern to the region. In his closing remarks, HE Minister's Assistant for Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi extended his sincere thanks to the participants, hoping that the forum would promote the level of mutual understanding, tolerance and acceptance of others among the Islamic countries and the United States as well as achieve the goals for which it was initiated 12 years ago. Al Rumaihi said that HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani had outlined a set of ideas about matters of concern to the region as well as political, economic, developmental, humanitarian and security challenges facing the Islamic world and Muslims and the need to find fair solutions to maintain security, stability and prosperity in the Muslim world and the world in a holistic manner. HE Minister's Assistant for Foreign Affairs added those ideas reiterated the need to establish a common understanding and distinct relations so as to continue working to deepen these relations on the basis of dialogue and understanding and to achieve effective partnership in issues where the American role is particularly important especially in the attainment of international peace and security in view of the circumstances taking place in the Middle East region, saying that dialogue represents a constructive cooperation to address the pressing issues. He also said that the tragedy of the Syrian people is further exacerbated by the failure of the international community, especially the Security Council to stand firmly against what is happening in Syria and to provide international protection for the Syrian people, adding that areas of tension and conflict contributed to the creation of terrorist organizations, one of the challenges facing the Islamic world. HE Minister's Assistant for Foreign Affairs explained that the region faces a range of challenges, which were on the agenda of the forum, including terrorism, religious extremism, regional and sectarian conflict, peace in the Middle East, sustainable development, justice and the rule of law, as well as political reform, which is the most important of these challenges. There are many other issues that must be addressed and discussed such as education, culture and sports, in addition to a variety of other issues, he added. HE Minister's Assistant for Foreign Affairs said the US and Islamic World Forum was attended by many heads of state, prime ministers, ministers and senior intellectuals and officials of the Islamic world as well as members of the House of Representatives and Senate and decision-makers in the United States, hoping for wider participation in the future forums, stressing that this forum has become an important opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions. Al Rumaihi also extended his sincere thanks to those in charge of the forum in the Brookings Institution, Washington and the Brookings Doha Center, Qatari Foreign Ministry and Permanent Committee for Organizing Conferences, and all those who participated in the forum, stressing that Qatar will continue to host this great forum. Tamara Cofman Wittes, Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said 'when we look at the challenges in the Middle East and the Muslim world, we will find that we are intertwined with each other and that we must acknowledge this fact', pointing to the failure of a number of countries in the region in areas such as political pluralism, human development. This failure can be exploited by extremists, she added. She pointed out that some of the policies pursued in the past created situations such as the Lebanese civil war and the Iraqi invasion, adding that these unwanted policies also led to sectarian tensions in the region and will have further consequences that 'we have to prepare for them'. (QNA)