December 21, 2003	Sunday	Shawwal 26, 1424

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec 20: The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution which called for promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation.

The resolution “Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony and Cooperation” was co-sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia.

The resolution was tabled after President Pervez Musharraf had urged the world community in his address to the UN General Assembly last year “to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding between Islam and the West”. He had specifically identified the promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation as a way forward in that regard.

The resolution calls for a new paradigm of basic values and norms for the 21st century.

Speaking at the General Assembly while introducing the resolution the ambassador of Pakistan to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said the adoption of that resolution by consensus would be a timely and authoritative rejection by the international community of a message of intolerance, hate and discrimination which was purveyed by a few extremist elements in various societies, cultures and faiths.

“This will be an important contribution to advancing the goals of universal understanding, harmony and peace as well as, security and prosperity,” he emphasized.

Mr Akram noted that since terrorist attacks of Sept 11, the world had witnessed a resurgence of religious and cultural intolerance.