Gerhard Schröder and Amre Mussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, opened the Frankfurt Book Fair on Tuesday
Published:
6 October 2004 y., Wednesday
Chancellor Schröder welcomed his Arab guests and stressed the importance creating a cultural dialogue.
The 56th Annual Frankfurt Book Fair got underway on Tuesday with more than 6,700 exhibitors from 110 countries gathering to present their latest literary offerings. This year, the literature of the Arab world will be the subject of special focus: the 22 members of the Arab League -- with the exception of Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Kuwait and Iraq -- are serving as special guests.
At the opening festivities, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Amre Mussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, stressed the importance of using such events to foster a cultural dialogue between the Arab and Western worlds.
In his speech, Chancellor Schröder rebuked those who continue to view the Arab world through a lense of prejudice and preconceptions and heralded the Arab country's attendance at the book fair as a chance to set the record straight.
"Those who rely on false assumptions should be prepared to differentiate their views," said Schröder. "That's the only way to foster understanding between different cultures -- there is no better place for that to take place than at the Frankfurt Book Fair."
Extra security precautions were taken to ensure that all goes smoothly at this year's event, which will no doubt be dominated by political debate. Indeed, even the Chancellor touched upon certain hot button issues in his opening remarks, mentioning both the situation in Israel and in Iraq.
Šaltinis:
dw-world.de
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Marching through the streets of Ozd around 600 Hungarian Guards staged one of their biggest protests.
more »
If the tyres on your car are under inflated or of poor quality then you may be filling up with fuel more often than you should be.
more »
Pilgrims packed into St Peter's Square in Rome under sunny skies, to mark Palm Sunday. They had gathered to commemorate Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem a week before being crucified.
more »
Amid the backdrop of California's soaring unemployment and the collapse of its housing market, "gold fever" has taken hold of some newly-minted miners.
more »
A group of Roma organisations Thursday honoured the European Parliament for its support of the Roma and their rights during the current legislative term.
more »
Mourners gathered outside the home of Argentina's former president Raul Alfonsin soon after the news of his death emerged.
more »
1 in 3 children in the UK are considered poor - that's more than any other industrialised country.
more »
Planning will reduce the impact of climate change on health, energy supplies, transport systems, farming and tourism.
more »
Urban beekeepers Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum are on a mission to save the British honey bee. A deadly virus is threatening to wipe out bees in the UK.
more »
The gradual retreat of the death penalty round the world and progress on women's and children's rights are among positive developments noted in the EP's draft annual report on human rights for 2008.
more »