Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, received the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Amr Moussa at a working meeting. He took the occasion to thank his guest for his personal help and for the assistance of the Arab League in resolving the difficult position in which Tomo Križnar found himself in Sudan at the end of last summer.

 

(Photo: Primož Lavre/Salomon 2000)

 

The PM and his guest reaffirmed their mutual interest in strengthening relations, which are gaining new weight in the light of Slovenia's preparations for the EU presidency. Mr Moussa stressed that the Arab League was willing to cooperate with Slovenia during the tenure in matters pertaining to intercultural dialogue and tackling the problems in areas where the League plays an important role.

 

With regard to intercultural dialogue both the Prime Minister and the Secretary General agreed that overcoming the tensions between the West and Islam rests in the knowledge that despite the differences, there are numerous common interests. In this respect, the cultural and political dimensions of these relations must also be considered.
 
They also exchanged views on the central issues on the agenda of the international community. With regard to the Middle East, they agreed that a comprehensive security plan must be established that would correspond to the interrelationship and interdependence of the events in the region. They also shared the opinion that the tensions within Arab societies add to the complexity of the security situation in the Middle East.