June 28, 2011 - Al-Azhar statement about the "Civil State" at UNESCO

(from left to right) Dr. Aly El-Samman, president of the International Union for Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue and Peace Education (ADIC); Ambassador Nassif Hitti, representative of the secretary general of the Arab League; Mr. Nickolay Mladenov, Bulgarian minister of foreign affairs; Abdou Diouf, secretary general of la Francophonie; Mrs. Irina Bokova, director general UNESCO; Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, former secretary general of the United Nations

Paris (28/6/2011) Al Ahram - In his speech during the round table that was organized by the UNESCO in Paris last week, Dr. Aly El-Samman unveiled the content of the historic document issued by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif concerning the "Civil State". During the meeting they discussed the Arab revolutions, also known as the "Arab Spring" in the presence of UNESCO Director, Mrs Irina Bokova; former president of Senegal, General Koïchiro Matsuura; president of the Federation of La Francophonie, Abdou Diouf; and Dr. Boutros-Ghali, president of the National Council for Human Rights. In his speech, Dr. El-Samman highlighted the role of Al-Azhar as a beacon of illumination, tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and coexistence.