His Holiness Participates in II Petra Conference of Nobel Laureates

Thursday, 22 June 2006, 4:00 PM

From Left: Jordanian Prime Minister Marouf Bakheet, Marion Wiesel, a writer, Jordan Queen Rania and His Holiness the Dalai Lama listening to King Abdullah’s speech at the opening ceremony of the Second Petra conference on Wednesday, 21 June.–Photo: Tribune

Jordan: His Holiness the Dalai Lama is among more than two-dozen Nobel Laureates participating in the Petra II Conference of Nobel Laureates in the Jordanian town of Petra, which began on 21 June 2006. The first conference was held in Petra in May 2005.

In his inaugural address, Jordan’s King Abdullah underscored the need to benefit from the leadership and knowledge of Nobel Prize winners in boosting long-term development. He called for giving special focus on settling conflicts, stressing that peace largely relies on the trust upon which it is built.

“The Nobel Prize recognises that the sources of human progress are to be found in every corner of the globe,” said King Abdullah. “The intellect, knowledge and talent of the world’s Nobel Laureates have brought better lives to millions of people in our world, and this week, we have a unique opportunity to have them apply their highly innovative minds to some of the most pressing contemporary global problems.”

The Associated Press (AP) quoted the King as telling the gathering, “Peace among nations depends on the trust that is built when people recognise common values and goals.”

Following the opening session, delegates broke into four groups for detailed discussions behind closed doors.

The organisers hope that the conference — whose theme is A World in Danger — will culminate in “concrete practical initiatives that will involve peace and cooperation in the region,” said Bassem Awadallah, an aide to King Abdullah.

During the two-day conference, they are expected to discuss challenges to global security and development, particularly in the fields of nuclear non-proliferation, education, health and poverty and economic empowerment.
The participants will also give special attention to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and other regional issues.

“Hatred, an old and new infectious disease, is still ravaging the human heart. Indifference imperils our future,” said Professor Wiesel, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who will host Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas in separate conversations during the conference.

“While there may be a variety of responses to injustice and tragedy, indifference cannot be one of them.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama said in his address to the conference on the first day.

According to an official press statement, Nobel Laureates from the six fields, peace, economics, literature, physics, chemistry, and physiology and medicine, are expected to attend.

They are joined by world-renowned leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as from civil society, including former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Richard C. Holbrooke; Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Sathirathai Surakiart; the Rockefeller Brothers Fund President, Stephen Heintz; Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Jeffrey Sachs; President of Investcorps, Nemir Kirdar; and Library of Alexandria Head, Ismail Serageldin.

Several leading media personalities from the Middle East, Europe and the United States are also participating in the conference.

They will be joined by around 40 Jordanian from the public and private sectors, according to an official press statement.

This conference concludes today. His Holiness the Dalai Lama will return to Dharamshala tomorrow.

(www.tibet.net is the official website of the Central Tibetan Administration.)