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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (45329)	12/20/2003 10:42:46 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

The United Nations General Assembly on Friday adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution which called for promotion of religious and cultural understanding , harmony and cooperation. The resolution "Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony and Cooperation" was co-sponsored by Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, Philippines, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia. The resolution was tabled after President Pervez Musharraf had urged the world community in his address to the UN General Assembly last year "to bridge the gulf of misunderstanding between Islam and the West". He had specifically identified the promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation as a way forward in that regard. The resolution calls for a new paradigm of basic values and norms for the 21st century. Speaking at the General Assembly while introducing the resolution the ambassador of Pakistan to the United Nations, Munir Akram, said the adoption of that resolution by consensus would be a timely and authoritative rejection by the international community of a message of intolerance, hate and discrimination which was purveyed by a few extremist elements in various societies, cultures and faiths. "This will be an important contribution to advancing the goals of universal understanding, harmony and peace as well as, security and prosperity," he emphasized. Mr Akram noted that since terrorist attacks of Sept 11, the world had witnessed a resurgence of religious and cultural intolerance.

To: IQBAL LATIF who wrote (45329)	12/20/2003 11:04:05 PM
From: JD	Respond to of 50167

A must read: Rebuilding Iraq Is ... Nothing a Few Middle-Class Guys Couldn't Solve "Before getting into the many reasons freedom is doomed in Iraq, consider a cheery counterexample. If you believe the political-science dictum that the bourgeoisie is the essential first ingredient for democracy, then there is at least one bit of good news in Baghdad today. Nader Hindo has come back to do business...Hindo is back in Baghdad, which starts to look like capitalism's promised land when he takes you around in his S.U.V. to show his projects. He is running an Internet service, supplying computers and satellite telephone service to three dozen hotels and businesses, plus he's negotiating to rebuild part of the national phone system. These are just his sideline businesses. He has got several bigger ventures going with his father. Together they're selling power generators to the United States Army, building materials to contractors and drilling equipment to the oil industry. They're overseeing 250 workers busy on the reconstruction of a dozen mansions, ministries and other buildings. On weekends, they scout the mountains and lakes of Kurdistan, where they're planning to build resort hotels... ...''We can definitely solve the security problems,'' Hindo says. ''We just need to have more police and security guards on the streets -- mainly guards, because nobody wants to create a huge armed force under the control of any one political entity. It's safer to have the work done by multiple private security companies.'' ...''There are so many opportunities here,'' Nader says. ''We're still dealing with a sleeping class of people. After Saddam, Iraqis aren't used to getting things done quickly. The concept of a business appointment still has no meaning here. Because the phones have been so bad, people just show up and expect you to talk to them whenever they arrive. But they'll learn. We can have a resurgence of the middle class. Iraqis have a work ethic. They're businessmen by nature...'' ...News reports of car bombs and missile attacks give Americans the sense that Iraq is steadily descending into chaos, but these attacks don't affect most Iraqis, especially outside Baghdad and the ''Sunni triangle.'' With more police on the streets, people have been returning to Baghdad's bazaars and restaurants..." nytimes.com