Vienna-SPA

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue opened yesterday in Vienna in presence of Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Austria's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo and members of the board of directors of the centre.

The board of directors of King Abdullah International Center for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) held here today the first meeting at the centre's headquarters under the patronage of the foreign ministers of the party countries.

In a press statement after the meeting, Prince Saud Al-Faisal  said the meeting of interfaith and intercultural dialogue which affect human beings in this center came to make the religions and cultures in the service of mankind, peace and spreading of goodness on this earth. He added that the sectarian differences are to be elements for understanding and not elements for collision.

'On this historical day, this centre is opened and we hope for the centre to have an effective impact to bring people together in order to resolve crises through peaceful ways,' Prince Saud Al-Faisal said.

Prince Saud added that the KAICIID is the only centre included clerics and their decisions are basic for interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

For his part, Austria's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger pointed out the importance of KAICIID and its role in spreading the culture of dialogue, coexistence and tolerance with the others.

Meanwhile, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo highlighted an idea of establishing the KAICIID and Spain's host of the Dialogue Conference in Madrid 2008 under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.