http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=190902
March 11, 2009 160 thinkers to attend Islamic unity conference Tehran Times Political Desk TEHRNA -- Mohammad Ali Taskhiri, secretary general of the Forum for the Rapprochement of Islamic Schools in the world, told reporters on Tuesday that 160 thinkers from 45 countries will attend the 22nd Islamic Unity Conference. The conference called "Islamic Ummah: Challenges, Strategies" will bring together 60 thinkers from Iran and another 100 from the other countries including the U.S., the UK, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate, Egypt, Oman, Sudan, Kuwait, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Syria, Tunis, Hong Kong, Turkey, Iraq, Gambia, Pakistan, Indonesia, ,Jordan , Qatar and so forth. Taskhiri said the conference will begin in Tehran on Friday with an opening speech delivered by Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and will end with a closing speech by Iran's Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad-Hossein Saffar-Harandi. He went on to say that the conference is to review the important challenges faced by Islamic nations to maintain their unity. The ayatollah said the Gaza war and arrest warrant against the Sudanese president by The Hague-based court will also be discussed by the participants. Israel's 22-day assault on Gaza left over 1,300 Palestinians dead, and thousands of buildings destroyed across the coastal enclave. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Taskhiri also said the forum carries out cultural, media and educational programs and it sends delegations as preachers to international conferences around the world [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
