Peres to join Saudi King on interfaith panel for first time
FM Livni expected to join Peres at UN meet in Washington next week, as well as rabbi, Muslim kadi, priest.
By Yoav Stern and Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Saudi Arabia Shimon Peres Israel newsPresident Shimon Peres has been invited to take part in a United Nations interfaith conference initiated by Saudi King Abdullah in Washington next week.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to accompany Peres to the conference, which will mark the first time Peres will participate in a panel alongside the Saudi ruler.
In addition to Peres and Abdullah, the panel will include Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Jordanian King Abdullah, the king of Bahrain, the emir of Kuwait, the prime minister of Qatar, the prime minister of Yemen and the president of Pakistan.
The President's Residence issued a statement Tuesday saying "Peres and Livni plan to hold a round of political meetings with senior officials from the Arab world on the sidelines of the conference."
Peres was planning to invite a rabbi, a Muslim Kadi and a Christian priest to join his delegation to the conference, "to show that Israel is a country that allows freedom of worship to all believers."
The conference is part of Abdullah's initiative to promote interfaith dialogue, joined by religious representatives from the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths. A similar conference convened recently in Madrid.
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