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Tehran, Nov 8, IRNA -- Few years after initiating an international cause for a civilizational dialogue, President Mohammad Khatami is up for a novel paradigm: coalition for peace.
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The idea sounds key to counterpoise ongoing belligerent efforts in the Middle East as the United States tries to rally world countrieson a military blitz on Afghanistan, accused by Washington of sheltering terrorists.
It is also a new lesson to "a world which is used to settling its problems through the use of force," Khatami said here Thursday, before leaving for New York to participate at a special session of the UN General Assembly on "dialogue among civilizations".
This latter is Khatami's own brainchild, announced by the United Nations as an international theme in 2001. The Iranian president hoped world countries would give their backing to the new idea as before.
"The idea of a coalition for peace may seem weird to some powers and countries, but I believe this proposal will receive the approval of the world public opinion, similar to the case of the dialogue among civilizations," Khatami said.
He called his trip to the United Nations a "normal visit", saying "we hope to build a world where the rights of all human beings are respected and any grounds for violence and injustice are removed."
"With a realistic and justice-seeking attitude and under the United Nations' leadership, we should try to move toward reducing tensions and violence and raise up humans' hopes in life," Khatami added.
The Iranian president regretted the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan in the wake of the US-led attacks, aimed at flushing out the terrorists which Washington accuses of being behind the September 11 attack on its defense and trade centers.
The Islamic Republic was swift to condemn the terror attack, but has denounced the U.S.-led strikes on Afghanistan for taking their toll on the civilians.
Iran has instead called for an international campaign against terrorism under the leadership of the United Nations.
Khatami said Iran, "itself a victim of terrorism", is calling for a "fundamental fight" against all forms of this evil phenomenon.
"Iran, given its ideological basis, awareness of current realities as well as its prominent position, supports the
anti-terror campaign. However, it disapproves of the idea to use war in the fight against terrorism," he said.
He described the terror attack on the US as "a terrible and ugly event in the year of dialogue among civilizations", saying "human beings have always been suffering from war and violence."
Khatami left Tehran for New York on Thursday morning to have an international convention on the dialogue among civilizations approved.
Khatami will also address the General Assembly on Iran's views on the civilizational dialogue and recent international developments in the wake of the September 11 attack on the US as well as the ongoing Afghan crisis.
He will further touch on Israeli forces' massive killing of the Palestinian peoples in the occupied territories. In his meetings with the heads of states of participating countries in the Assembly, Khatami will also discuss mutual cooperation between Iran and world countries.
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