Jakarta - World leaders in religion, politics and business will gather in the Indonesian capital this week for a conference to address ‘facets of violence‘ and its solutions, organisers said on Sunday.
Muhammadiyah, Indonesia‘s second largest Muslim movement with some 30 million adherents, will host the second ‘World Peace Forum‘ between June 24 and 26, with more than 200 participants expected to attend.
‘This is not just an interfaith dialogue. We invite leaders in business, politics, media and academics to sit together and find solutions for peace,‘ Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin told journalists.
‘Violence is a reality, but what can be done? We will try to pin down practical solutions to address the problem,‘ he said.
The meeting will be opened by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, while the prime ministers of New Zealand, Australia and Thailand, among others, will convey written and video messages.
The first World Peace Forum took place in 2006 and was attended by around 100 religious and business leaders, academics, journalists and civil society activists.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com (June 22, 2008)