OHRID, Aug 30 (Hina) - Participants in a UNESCO forum on dialogue among civilisations in Macedonia's Ohrid adopted a final declaration on Saturday in which they state their commitment to the culture of dialogue, tolerance and peace in
view of achieving progress, prosperity and cooperation among the peoples and countries of Southeast Europe.
OHRID, Aug 30 (Hina) - Participants in a UNESCO forum on dialogue
among civilisations in Macedonia's Ohrid adopted a final
declaration on Saturday in which they state their commitment to the
culture of dialogue, tolerance and peace in view of achieving
progress, prosperity and cooperation among the peoples and
countries of Southeast Europe. #L#
The cradle of European culture and civilisation, a scene of wars,
destruction and ethnic cleansing only a decade ago, is entering a
new stage in which dialogue, understanding and reconciliation will
rule, reads the declaration.
It concludes by saying that reconciliation is the route to a joint
future. Dialogue must become the new chorus that will echo around
the region and the world, it reads.
The declaration advocates so-called quality education which
requires a revision of school books and programmes, and calls for
making cultural heritage become a factor of unification and
reconciliation among the peoples of the region.
The Ohrid forum welcomed Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski's
offer to host a conference of education and science ministers in
mid-2004, as well as Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov's
Cultural Routes in Southeast Europe project and conference of the
region's culture ministers in 2004.
The declaration endorses Bosnian Presidency chairman Dragan
Covic's proposal to have the region's heads of state attend next
year's opening of Mostar's rebuilt medieval bridge.
The routes of communication must remain open and elastic so as to
bolster understanding and cooperation among peoples, the
declaration says, calling on the media to play a key role in helping
break down barriers in people's minds.
(hina) ha