EU-Religions Meet
A meeting of leaders and representatives of the leading world religions opened in Brussels Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to promote religious tolerance and harmony.
The one-day meeting is being held at the initiative of European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Austrian Chancellor and current President of the EU Council, Wolfgang Schussel.
The aim of the meeting is to hold a regular dialogue with the religious leaders in Europe, to discuss and overcome problems in the European society and to establish bridges between religious beliefs, Schussel told a news conference ahead of the meeting.
"We need common values more than common currency and more than economic ideas," he said.
"This is a very important moment. We are honored to have such a distinguished group of religious leaders with us today," said Barroso.
The gathering shows that dialogue among religions is possible, he added.
Several religious leaders representing Christian, Islamic and Jewish communities in Europe are taking part in the meeting.
Ayatollah Seyyed Abbas Qaime Maqami, director of the Islamic Center in Hamburg, Anas Schakfeh, president of the Islamic Community in Austria and Imam Abduljalil Sajid from the Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony in the UK are representing the Islamic community.
Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is also taking part.