The Interfaith Dialogue conference, sponsored by the U.N. and initiated by Saudi King Abdallah bin Abd Al-Aziz, opened today in New York.

The conference is in accordance with the Madrid Declaration, issued at the conclusion of the July 2008 Madrid Interfaith Dialogue Conference.

Islamic World Association secretary-general Abdallah Al-Turki stressed the importance of the event and said that the initiative was conceived at a conference of Muslim clerics and intellectuals in Mecca in June 2008.

A Saudi source said that Israel's agreement to dialogue between the three monotheistic religions would help promote reconciliation among all religions, and that the Arab-Israeli conflict was about "land and [national] rights, not a conflict between Muslims and Jews."

(See also "Hizbullah Criticizes Upcoming Interfaith Dialogue Conference.")

Source: Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, November 12, 2008