President of Youth Welfare Prince Faisal Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz led the Kingdom's delegation to the second conference of officials in the Islamic world who are in charge of culture. A joint communiqué was issued today in Rabat at the end of the three-day conference held under the patronage of King Hassan of Morocco. The communiqué highlighted the importance of the role of culture in strengthening ties of fraternity, and the strong impact of cultural cooperation on deepening Islamic solidarity.
The communiqué also made reference to the common effort for the preservation of the Arab and Islamic identity of the Holy City of Al-Quds [Jerusalem], denouncing Israel's actions aimed at altering the city's landmarks and calling for support for the Palestinian National Authority's efforts to build up cultural infrastructure in Al-Quds and all Palestinian territories.
The conference, urging all Islamic countries to pay special attention to education and to the principles of fraternity, solidarity and cooperation, recommended the establishment of national cultural councils, and the setting up of funds to support cultural projects. The conference approved a recommendation for the establishment of a consultative council to enforce cultural strategy, that was presented by an ad hoc panel held in June in Stockholm, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso. The communiqué advised member countries to present their major cultural projects to this consultative council for evaluation. The conference resolved to open special bank accounts to help finance common cultural projects within the cultural strategy, and urged member states to allocate additional money to support the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).
At a press conference, Prince Faisal described the conference as successful, and expressed approval of the Islamic cultural strategy, since it is based on the faith of Islam, confirming that it would be implemented in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Prince Faisal was received yesterday in Marrakesh by King Hassan of Morocco, to whom he conveyed greetings from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz.