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“ Iraq For All Iraqis: United Nations Conference ”

TV Bridges, June 20, 2007

Salim Rizvi reporting

Even as the situation continues to be grim in Iraq, thousands of miles away at the United Nations some Iraqi religious leaders joined hands to keep the country and society together.

Iraqi religious leaders of both major sects Shia and Sunni met at the United Nations last week at a conference called “Iraq for all Iraqis.”

Iraqi community leaders called for cooperation among all sects to face challenges in Iraq especially to fight religious extremist ideologies that are being used to justify indiscriminate killings.

They also appealed to the international community to help Iraq and Iraqis move forward.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyaar Zebari attended the conference where community leaders were engaged in some frank and open discussions. Sayyid Amar Al Hakim is one of the organizers of the conference.

But all of the leaders agreed on the right for Iraqis to determine their future as a sovereign nation without any outside interference.

The Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations Faisal Estrabadi sounded hopeful after the meeting.

Religions for Peace, the Al Hakim Foundation, and New York University Center for Dialogues: Islamic World-U.S.-The West brought together the senior Iraqi religious and other civil society leaders at the United Nations.

The conference was designed to promote dialogue and cooperation among Iraqis and their international counterparts.

Alll of the Iraqi participants have been active in building peace in Iraq. The Iraqis at the conference agreed upon a strong shared commitment to a unified Iraq for all Iraqis. They vowed to rebuild their country out of the rich religious, historical and cultural legacies.

There was a consensus on the need for re-building Iraq based upon respect for religious, ethnic and cultural diversity.

Many scholars were also attending the conference and they stressed the fundamental role of education in building a new Iraq that re-captures the rich legacies of Iraq and overcomes the damage of centuries of foreign intervention and oppression.

This is Salim Rizvi reporting for Bridges TV in New York City.

See the video of this report >

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