Conversation with ... Mohammad Khatami on the Dialogue Among Civilizations.

• Author: Afrasiabi, Kaveh L.
• Position: Interview

Mohammad Khatami (left), former President of Iran and distinguished member of the Alliance of Civilizations, was interviewed on 11 September 2006 by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, founder and Director of Global Interfaith Peace.

KAVEH AFRASIABI: After five years, how would you evaluate the follow-up to the United Nations 2001 Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, which was initiated following your proposal?

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MOHAMMAD KHATAMI: Dialogue Among Civilizations was not conceived as a political project seeking immediate results. Rather, the purpose behind it has been to cause a paradigm shift away from violence, conflict, intolerance and cross-cultural misunderstandings. After its adoption, the United Nations renewed the Dialogue's agenda for another five years, and it will likely remain a UN agenda for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the 2001 Year of Dialogue coincided with the most horrific tragedy of September 11, which in turn securitized the global environment and triggered the war on terror, as well as the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan--in a word, the exact opposite of what the Dialogue Among Civilizations stood for. And yet, those events at the same time reinforced the need and importance of dialogue among civilizations as an antidote. As a result, this programme received a great deal of attention, particularly by the world's intelligentsia, artists and politicians, as reflected in the appearance of dozens of (research) centres, numerous books and academic chairs on dialogue among civilizations.

I am personally convinced that the human species seeks peace and harmony, and that there is an inner drive away from tension and violence that fuels the dialogue among civilizations, as an effort to introduce people to other cultures and discover their common elements as an important prerequisite for world peace. I am hopeful that with the establishment of an international centre for dialogue among civilizations in Geneva, we can pursue this noble objective even better with the participation of world thinkers.

KA: What is the purpose and objective of the "Alliance of Civilizations"?

MK: The idea was first proposed by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey and was endorsed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has selected an 18-member "group of notables" to design a plan for action. So far, we have had four meetings--in Spain, Qatar, Senegal and most recently in New York--and a final report is due at the next meeting in...