Singapore (AsiaNews/Agencies) A meeting titled 'Asia-Middle East Dialogue' is scheduled for June 2005. It will involve about 50 states interested in boosting regional economic and political cooperation, especially in the fight against terrorism, this according to a statement made by Singapore's Foreign Minister Raymond Lim who was speaking before parliament yesterday.
The meeting should last two days and bring together government and religious leaders as well intellectuals and decision-makers from business and civil society. "The aim is to forge closer political, security, economic and socio-cultural relations between peoples of the two regions," Lim said.
Special attention will be devoted to security in South-East Asia, a region where half of the population is Muslim.
"The threat presented by global terrorism stems from a militant, extremist ideology that uses religion to foment divisions between and within societies," Lim said.
"To help counter this threat, the Asia-Middle East Dialogue seeks to provide a platform for moderate Muslim countries to speak up and challenge the extremist strain of Islam," he added.
Egypt has offered to host the second meeting in 2006 and Bahrain has expressed interest in hosting a future meeting. (FP)
