Ayoon wa Azan (Euro-Arab dialogue)

“Euro-Arab dialogue in the Twenty-First Century: Towards a Common Vision,” was the title of a conference held by the Foundation of Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain's Prize for Poetic Creativity in Brussels, attended by more than three hundred invitees from around the world. The results of the dialogue will depend on the future. But what I can say today is that the Foundation has put a lot of effort into organizing the dialogue with the European Union at the seat of its headquarters in Brussels. The opening session at the EU headquarters and the three subsequent dialogue sessions in a hotel in the Belgian capital brought together some of the finest experts on the subject. The chairman of the foundation, our brother Abdulaziz al-Babtain (Abu Saud), delivered a speech welcoming the attendees, and stressed that the differences between human beings in their colors, languages, religions, and ideas were something natural that cannot be abolished, but that must be instead recognized and coexisted with in a positive way to serve everyone. Abu Saud called on Europe to seek to develop the Middle East and contribute in earnest to putting down the fires that have broken out in the region, and recreate hope for its children to dissuade them from participating in the repeated attempts to migrate to the north. The three dialogue sessions centered on the main theme of the conference. The first topic that was discussed was “Rethinking Democracy,” in a session moderated by Morocco's former Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa. Giselle Khoury moderated the second session, which was entitled “Social media - a New Space for Democracy,” and Dr. Yousef Ibrahim moderated the third session entitled “Education and Citizenship - Essential Tools for the Twenty-First Century.” I was pleased to find among the speakers some big names. The Arab reader may know Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al- Salem Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, former Speaker of the Kuwaiti parliament brother Marzouq Al-Ghanim, former Algerian Minister Dr. Mohieddine Amimour, and Dr. Mohammed Al-Rumaihi, the Kuwaiti thinker. Foreign speakers were also of the same high caliber, and a book will be published by the conference organizers that will include the speeches made during the event. Today I will choose some excerpts from the speech of Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, which reflected his deep intellect, and I heard many participants praise his speech: -The changes in the Arab world do not affect the march of democracy alone, but lead to other major changes, political, economic, religious, and cultural. -The shift is not only taking place in the Levant and North Africa, but also in the Arabian Gulf region as well. -Always during major transformations, there is political and religious conflict. There are differences within the Sunni sect, and between Sunnis and Shiites. -The tragedy in Syria has clear features. What was initially a Syrian conflict has spilled over the border, becoming a regional conflict revolving around Syria. -In the ongoing transformations, freedom and democracy go hand in hand. It should be noted that all repressive regimes are built on the same principles: curtailing or preventing freedom; rejecting pluralism; preventing the emergence of a public opinion that may become politically influential; and preventing dialogue. -There is no one-size-fits-all recipe, and democracy cannot be imported or imposed by military means. -What is needed in political work is common sense: Peace-building through resolution of conflicts, promoting human rights, and economic growth. -Last but not least, international dialogue requires the existence of responsible political and social players, who are able to deliver the required reforms. I do not think I can add more to what the politicians and intellectuals who participated in the conference have said, so I just say that the world is not a charity, but is based on mutual interests, and for dialogue to succeed it must include what each party can offer the other so as not to become a monologue or a dialogue of the deaf. There was a beginning of something in Brussels, but it will not bear fruit without conscious and sustained follow-up. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arab Today.