UNITED NATIONS, Nov 3: “Dialogue among Civilizations” — an agenda item to be debated next week in the United Nations General Assembly - has gained special significance in the wake of terrorist attacks against the United States, a UN official said.

Next week’s UNGA meetings take place just before the Assembly’s annual high-level general debate..

The US President George W. Bush, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, India’s Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee, Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat and several other heads of state and government are expected to participate in the discussion on the “Dialogue”, beginning Sept 10. The high level debate was rescheduled following Sept 11 attacks on the United States.

Giandomenico Picco, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Personal Representative for the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, told a press briefing on Friday that terrorism had actually made the issue of the Dialogue quite compelling for the General Assembly’s discussion, slated for 8 to 9 November.

“The Dialogue, we believe, is philosophically at the opposite end of the spectrum from terrorism,” he said.

“Terrorists believe that diversity is equal to enmity, and those who take the position that dialogue should be pursued believe in the opposite. “Three years ago, the Assembly designated 2001 as the UN Year of ‘Dialogue among Civilizations.”