UK asks Sudanese Islamist leader to assist in inter-religious dialogue

By Al-Sahafah daily newspaper

The UK administration has asked Islamic leader Dr Hasan al- Turabi to use all is spiritual and political influence to ameliorate the situation in Afghanistan and the [Arab] region.

A well informed source in the [opposition] PNC [Popular National Congress], revealed that the meeting between the UK peace envoy, Alan Goulty, the British ambassador, William Pattey, the political attache at the British embassy in Khartoum and a PNC delegation headed by Al-Turabi, focused on how to settle the situation in Afghanistan and the [Arab] region after the September 11 [attack].

The source said the two parties exchanged views on the so-called conflict of civilizations and the inter-religious dialogue between Islam and Christianity.

The source said the UK delegation asked Al-Turabi to intervene and make use of all his spiritual and political influence to conduct the dialogue, stressing that Al-Turabi had expressed his readiness to do so.

Al-Turabi asked for the Arcibishop of Canterbury to participate in the dialogue, stressing the need for containing the conflict so that it would not turn into a religious war.

BBC Monitoring Middle East