Bosnian leader lauds al-Babtain Foundation

Haris Silajdic, former Prime Minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, has expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Kuwaiti philanthropist and poet Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain for promoting dialogue and understanding between Europe and the Arab world. "Mr. Al Babtain is a man that tirelessly works to make people understand each other and it will have a result. This conference demonstrates that an Arab-Muslim foundation is coming here and bringing a message of the open heart which is a general character in the Arab-Muslim cultures. It is a very important message," he told KUNA, in an interview. Silajdic, who was also member of the Troika Presidency of Bosnia Herzegovina in 2007, is in Brussels to attend a two-day symposium titled "Arab-European dialogue in the 21st century: Towards a Common Vision" organised by the Foundation Saud Al-Babtain's Prize for Poetic Creativity. The symposium kicked off in the European Parliament Monday evening and the Bosnian politician was one of the speakers in the session on "Rethinking Democracy." "We have this conference under the auspices of the President of the European Parliament. We have here the Speaker of the Kuwaiti Parliament. I think it is important because we find ourselves in a very difficult situation throughout the world. Our reality is shattered by so many different elements. So we need a unifying principle. There is a consensus on democracy," he said. Siladjic said the dialogue will also contribute to remove misunderstandings about Islam in Europe. "It is starting to become a dialogue. Previously we had monologues. As far as Europe is concerned it was more a kind of Eurocentric approach," he stated. "Especially we need a new quality in understanding what democracy is, what justice is. Human rights cannot be a catalogue on paper. We have to be true and have credibility," said the Bosnian leader. "The cases of intolerance and discrimination goes on today in the world. What happens now to Syrian civilians, to the people in the biggest prison in the world called Gaza, to people in my country where those who survived genocide are denied the basic human rights. That takes away credibility," he told KUNA.