World Jewish News

Kazakhstan is an ideal place to begin process of rapprochement between the East and the West.

While the modern world has occupied a fence-sitting position on the threshold of war with Iraq, the last preparations for the conference "Peace and Consent" take place in Kazakhstan. The conference is convoked under initiative of the President Nursultan Nazarbaev at support of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and will take place on February 13 in Almaty. Leaders of the countries of the central-Asian region are invited to this conference. Besides, delegations of the USA, Israel and the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress are also taking part in it.
The task lies in showing the world that the most part of Moslems goes solid for peace; that relationship with Islam is not reduced only to the conflict in the Near East and to that region where blood is about to be flown. During the conference there will be passed the "Peace and Consent" declaration, calling all countries to support this peace-making initiative and to further peace establishment and stability not only in the central-Asian region but also all over the world.
It is expected the permanent Forum of Peace and Consent will be founded at the conference. Organizers of the conference are convinced that Kazakhstan is the ideal place to start process of rapprochement between the East and the West.
We expect that Shimon Peres, the winner of the Nobel prize of peace, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and the former Prime Minister of Israel, will arrive at the conference, that testifies the big interest to this event from the side of neighboring countries.
Presence of the rather respectable American delegation declares that the USA realizes that preparation of military operation in Iraq should not close the way to peaceful co-existence with the world of Islam.
The part of Moslem countries (so-called not Arabian part of an Islam) for today is oriented extremely peacefully, that is proved by their participation in Islamic-Judaic dialogue, initiated several months ago when the joint memorandum between the Rabbis Council of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and heads of Moslems Clergy of Kazakhstan has been signed.
The conference agenda contains a session, during which representatives of different Jewish communities will meet Moslem colleagues. This action actually will finish the conference. As far as among participants there will be representatives of business circles, we hope there will be expressed wishes about further forms of co-operation to recover good neighborhood.
The basic purpose of carrying out the conference consists in demonstration the real opportunity of peaceful solution of acute problems through dialogue between nations and religions.