ROME, Sept 28: Pakistan and Italy on Tuesday voiced total consonance on the United Nations reforms with President Pervez Musharraf saying Islamabad was against creation of more centres of privileges in the Security Council
in violation of norms of sovereign equality of nations.
"Therefore, we will be against any increase in nations having special privileges and being more equal than others (at the UN)," he said after his one-hour talks with Italian President Carolo Azerglio Ciampi.
President Ciampi said both Pakistan and Italy envisaged a reform that would enable the UN to more effectively perform according to its charter, to respond to any threats to collective security and address the problems of under-development.
He warned that ignoring international law could lead to serious consequences and called for reforming the UN to respond to threats of collective security "Sliding into increasingly vicious conflicts, and failing to acknowledge that international law is a guarantee of civil coexistence for us all, can only lead to ruin."
He said it was no coincidence that there was an increasing awareness in the international community of the need to acknowledge the primacy of the United Nations. President Musharraf called for combating the theory of clash of civilizations.
He said the international community, particularly the United States and the European Union, should address festering political disputes involving Muslims with justice through a strategy of enlightened moderation.
"The theory of clash of civilization is detrimental to the interests of the world at large. We should combat against any such theory. Pakistan does not at all contribute to it and is for countering it through a strategy of enlightened moderation."
At the same time, he added, the Muslim countries should reject extremism and focus on their socio-economic development. Echoing President Musharraf's call for peaceful resolution of political problems, the Italian leader stressed that there was no alternative to dialogue between the West and Islam.
"Only by understanding each other's positions and co-operating on the basis of our respective differences, engaging in a dialogue which is much more than an academic exercise, can we begin to find global answers to the problems facing our age," he said.
President Ciampi said Islam was a sophisticated culture. "Throughout the centuries it has advocated tolerance and civilized conduct, it knows the positive meaning of coexistence and appreciates the voice of wisdom." -APP
