ID :
78569
Sun, 09/06/2009 - 12:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/78569
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Patriarch Kirill meets Arab diplomats
MOSCOW, September 5 (Itar-Tass) -- Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All
Russia met with the Arab ambassadors and charges d'affaires to Russia at
Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on Friday.
Attending the meeting were the ambassadors of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria,
Somalia, the League of Arab States, Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya,
and charges d'affaires of some Arab states.
In his address to the diplomats, the patriarch stressed the
historically good relations between Russia and Arab states.
He believes the main reason for the mutual understanding is that both
Russia and the Arab world "reveres and preserves the spiritual tradition
in a special way and considers it to be the main factor moulding the life
of the people and society".
The patriarch believes that such approach to the tradition as "a norm
of life" to be passed on to the next generation makes Russia and the Arab
states "natural allies" in the face of challenges from globalisation. He
expressed confidence that "inter-civilisational contradictions can be
resolved and extremism can be fought in all forms only if the basic moral
principles of human life are maintained".
"Together with the Muslim world and other traditional religions
Orthodox believers try to testify loudly today that disregard for
spiritual life and traditional moral values turn human freedom into
arbitrariness, liberation of sins and human instincts, and that this path
is pernicious for mankind," Kirill said.
He noted particularly the experience of centuries-old co-existence of
two big religions in Russia. "We Orthodox believers have been living with
Muslims for thousands of years on the basis of the principles of
friendship and good-neighbourliness," he said.
The inter-religious dialogue is "only part of our daily life, and we
are glad that there have never been religious wars in Russia between
Orthodox believers and Muslims", the patriarch said.
The patriarch also emphasised that "many Arab countries have a
Christian minority" and urged them to ensure that "additional attention to
the needs of the Christian minority becomes one of the factors
facilitating further improvement of Christian-Muslim relations".
Kirill told the diplomats of his plans to visit the Alexandria,
Antiochian and Jerusalem patriarchates that have accumulated "big
experience of constructive interaction with Muslims".
He hopes to meet during these trips with the state leaders of Egypt,
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority, as well as with the
Muslim leaders of Middle East and North African countries.
.None of Russians injured during unrests in Gabon -- FM.
MOSCOW, September 5 (Itar-Tass) -- None of the Russian citizens was
injured during unrests in Gabon after a presidential election in that
country, the Foreign Ministry said.
"A presidential election was held in Gabon on August 30. The main
contenders were a candidate from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party,
Defence Minister in the incumbent government Ali Bongo, the son of Gabon's
long-time leader Omar Bongo, Union of the Gabonese People leader Pierre
Mamboundou, and former Interior Minister Andre Mba Obame," the ministry
said.
Under electoral legislation, a presidential election is held in one
round and the winner is the candidate who has received a relative majority
of votes. According to the information provided by the national election
commission on September 3, Bongo received about 42 percent of votes, and
his rivals had each scored about 25 percent. The results of the election
have to be approved by the Constitutional Court.
"After the results of the election had been announced, unrests
occurred in the capital of Gabon, Libreville. Their participants - young
people from the slums - tried to build barricades, set car tyres on fire
and pillages shops. However law enforcement agencies control the situation
in the capital and in the country as a whole," the ministry said.
.Testing of first vaccine from A/H1N1/ in St Petersburg delayed till
Sep 10.
ST. PETERSBURG, September 5 (Itar-Tass) -- The testing of ther first
vaccine from the A/H1N1/ flu in St. Petersburg has been postponed from
September 7 till September 10.
The testing will involve volunteers and will be held at the Flu
Research Institute in St. Petersburg. Pilot vaccines for the testing were
created by Mikrogen's enterprises in Irkutsk and Ufa, and produced by the
St. Petersburg Institute of Vaccines and Serums, the head of the National
Flue Centre of the World Health Organisation in St. Petersburg,
Academician Oleg Kiselev said.
"The testing program will require 500 ampoules. Before the biomaterial
can be tested on volunteers, it is necessary to obtain permission from the
State Research Institute of Medical Biological Preparation Standardisation
and Control in Moscow," he said.
Specialists will have to determine the harmlessness, effectiveness and
other characteristics of the new vaccine.
"Once the testing protocols have been approved, full-scale production
of the new vaccine may begin in October or November of this year," the
Academician said.
-0-zak/
Russia met with the Arab ambassadors and charges d'affaires to Russia at
Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on Friday.
Attending the meeting were the ambassadors of Lebanon, Egypt, Syria,
Somalia, the League of Arab States, Yemen, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya,
and charges d'affaires of some Arab states.
In his address to the diplomats, the patriarch stressed the
historically good relations between Russia and Arab states.
He believes the main reason for the mutual understanding is that both
Russia and the Arab world "reveres and preserves the spiritual tradition
in a special way and considers it to be the main factor moulding the life
of the people and society".
The patriarch believes that such approach to the tradition as "a norm
of life" to be passed on to the next generation makes Russia and the Arab
states "natural allies" in the face of challenges from globalisation. He
expressed confidence that "inter-civilisational contradictions can be
resolved and extremism can be fought in all forms only if the basic moral
principles of human life are maintained".
"Together with the Muslim world and other traditional religions
Orthodox believers try to testify loudly today that disregard for
spiritual life and traditional moral values turn human freedom into
arbitrariness, liberation of sins and human instincts, and that this path
is pernicious for mankind," Kirill said.
He noted particularly the experience of centuries-old co-existence of
two big religions in Russia. "We Orthodox believers have been living with
Muslims for thousands of years on the basis of the principles of
friendship and good-neighbourliness," he said.
The inter-religious dialogue is "only part of our daily life, and we
are glad that there have never been religious wars in Russia between
Orthodox believers and Muslims", the patriarch said.
The patriarch also emphasised that "many Arab countries have a
Christian minority" and urged them to ensure that "additional attention to
the needs of the Christian minority becomes one of the factors
facilitating further improvement of Christian-Muslim relations".
Kirill told the diplomats of his plans to visit the Alexandria,
Antiochian and Jerusalem patriarchates that have accumulated "big
experience of constructive interaction with Muslims".
He hopes to meet during these trips with the state leaders of Egypt,
Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority, as well as with the
Muslim leaders of Middle East and North African countries.
.None of Russians injured during unrests in Gabon -- FM.
MOSCOW, September 5 (Itar-Tass) -- None of the Russian citizens was
injured during unrests in Gabon after a presidential election in that
country, the Foreign Ministry said.
"A presidential election was held in Gabon on August 30. The main
contenders were a candidate from the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party,
Defence Minister in the incumbent government Ali Bongo, the son of Gabon's
long-time leader Omar Bongo, Union of the Gabonese People leader Pierre
Mamboundou, and former Interior Minister Andre Mba Obame," the ministry
said.
Under electoral legislation, a presidential election is held in one
round and the winner is the candidate who has received a relative majority
of votes. According to the information provided by the national election
commission on September 3, Bongo received about 42 percent of votes, and
his rivals had each scored about 25 percent. The results of the election
have to be approved by the Constitutional Court.
"After the results of the election had been announced, unrests
occurred in the capital of Gabon, Libreville. Their participants - young
people from the slums - tried to build barricades, set car tyres on fire
and pillages shops. However law enforcement agencies control the situation
in the capital and in the country as a whole," the ministry said.
.Testing of first vaccine from A/H1N1/ in St Petersburg delayed till
Sep 10.
ST. PETERSBURG, September 5 (Itar-Tass) -- The testing of ther first
vaccine from the A/H1N1/ flu in St. Petersburg has been postponed from
September 7 till September 10.
The testing will involve volunteers and will be held at the Flu
Research Institute in St. Petersburg. Pilot vaccines for the testing were
created by Mikrogen's enterprises in Irkutsk and Ufa, and produced by the
St. Petersburg Institute of Vaccines and Serums, the head of the National
Flue Centre of the World Health Organisation in St. Petersburg,
Academician Oleg Kiselev said.
"The testing program will require 500 ampoules. Before the biomaterial
can be tested on volunteers, it is necessary to obtain permission from the
State Research Institute of Medical Biological Preparation Standardisation
and Control in Moscow," he said.
Specialists will have to determine the harmlessness, effectiveness and
other characteristics of the new vaccine.
"Once the testing protocols have been approved, full-scale production
of the new vaccine may begin in October or November of this year," the
Academician said.
-0-zak/
