The previous speakers came here with some prepared statements. As you can see I have no paper before me but I cannot resist the temptation to address those gathered on this occasion which is so important and I am invited to do so because both in the initial addresses by Secretary Romulo and also by President Eliasson there have been specific references to an initiative that we cherish and that we share with Turkey, our colleague, here present. This is the Alliance of Civilizations that was put forward by Spain’s Prime Minister Zapatero, then by Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan and now assumed as we all know by Secretary-General Kofi Annan himself who established the High-Level Panel on the Alliance of Civilizations, which is now working in a very intense way to produce a report before the end of the year with concrete proposals to submit to the international community.

Recent events have only highlighted the need, the importance, the timeliness of an initiative such as this one and also the initiative that today congregates us, the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. We all know that it is something that requires not only our fullest support but also commitment and participation, as has also been mentioned by both the representatives of civil society and of international organizations, specifically UNESCO.

I think we have a challenge. The challenge to advance from general principles, general values, and general aims that we all share towards concrete proposals that unite us in joint action. This is that next step that we have to take and in various initiatives, various configurations because there is no division, there is no rivalry, there is no conflict between them.

Both initiatives and others go in the same direction: Culture of Peace, Dialogue among Civilizations, all of them, as it was underscored in the Summit Meeting Outcome Document last September, are going towards the same direction and reinforcing each other.

So we are working hand in hand with this aim in sight. Now what we have to do is to translate that commitment into joint action, into joint partnerships in order to reach the goal that we all desire.

So I am very happy and even consider myself fortunate in being here today in this important meeting that marks the onset of this important work of the Tripartite Forum.

Thank you very much.