Address of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Rachid Talbi El Alami, at Opening of 10th Session of International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace
“In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and may prayers and peace be upon His noble Messenger and his kith and kin
Honorable Speaker of the House of Councilors,
Honorable President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,
Honorable President of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace,
Honorable President of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace,
Esteemed representative of the League of Arab States,
Your Excellencies the Ambassadors,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am pleased and honored to take the floor at the opening of the 10th Session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace, under the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace, which you – with sincere conscience and will - chose to hold in Rabat, the capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, in the same year when Rabat was named the capital of Islamic culture by the ISESCO, and when it also celebrated, last month, being the capital of African culture, at the International Book and Publishing Fair, in addition to the symbolic value of this Muslim, Arab, and African capital, as His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, named it the city of lights. This title encloses several concrete dimensions, as the spaces of Rabat have become enlightened and enlightening. Such dimensions and connotations underscore the Kingdom of Morocco's explicit choice of advocating enlightenment, reason, democracy, modernization, and the values of tolerance, peace, freedom, justice, human rights, and equity.
As I pronounce the opening of this Session in the presence of dear, honorable, brotherly, and friendly figures, I would also like to welcome you all, on behalf of our country's House of Representatives, to your second country, with esteem for your presence today in Rabat. I am also grateful for this noble fraternal spirit that culminated in the choice of Rabat as a space to convene this important Session. Additionally, I am sure it will be a productive Session that will remain embedded in the audience's memory and the history of this esteemed institution, the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace.
This Session, taking place in Rabat, will undoubtedly discuss vital concerns, both at the level of Committee meetings in terms of the examination of several key issues, including the promotion of peace, affairs of women and youth, foreign affairs, sustainable development, legal affairs, and the fight against terrorism. However, what is further prominent is its political, humanitarian, cultural, and civilizational dimension, which is mainly reflected by this audience, present in this Mediterranean, African, Islamic, and Arab State, whose Kings have always defended the values of tolerance and peace, starting from the late His Majesty King Mohammed V, the late His Majesty King Hassan II, may Allah bless them, and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God glorify him, who has made peace a creed of his nation and country, and a political and ethical culture that governs the official orientations of State institutions and orients decision-making.
You are all probably already aware of the significant role played by the Kingdom of Morocco in promoting an atmosphere of trust and extending bridges of dialogue between the three monotheistic religions, through continuous conferences and meetings at this level, in addition to the visit to Casablanca in the summer of 1985 by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, under the reign of the late His Majesty King Hassan II, and the visit in 2019 to Rabat by His Holiness Pope Francis and his historic meeting with the Commander of the Faithful, His Majesty King Mohammed VI. In the same respect, I should also shed light on His Majesty's role in supporting the projects of tolerance and peace in the Middle East, in particular the service of Al-Quds Al-Sharif and its religious and spiritual sanctities, as well as the sincere endeavors to find just and equitable solutions to this troubling issue within the horizon of a just and definitive solution to the cause of the brotherly Palestinian people, and their right to independence and the construction of their independent national State.
Through holding its Session in the Kingdom of Morocco, your and our organization (the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace) acknowledges that it has chosen one of the parliamentary spaces that is actively engaged in the Islamic and even universal horizon in support of the civilization of tolerance and peace choices.
Based on this sincere conviction of the principles, culture, and prospects for tolerance and peace, we received today this Parliament with further pride, esteem, and gratitude. This event is also an opportunity to assert that the Kingdom of Morocco, under the leadership of His Majesty the King, may God protect him, has entrenched its active engagement in the dynamics of world peace and has always made a tangible contribution to the international community's various commitments relating to peace, security and stability, foremost among which are climate and environmental changes, migration, human rights, justice issues, transitional justice, economic, social, cultural and linguistic issues, security and anti-terrorism issues, extremism and organized crime, sustainable development and other matters of global concern that are today listed as priorities.
In the Kingdom of Morocco, we recognize that there is a moral, political, humanitarian, and civilizational responsibility, and even a legal one of States and international, regional, and national institutions alike, to provide conditions for peace in the world. To that end, there must be wise political will, rational commitment, and a spirit of fairness, which His Majesty King Mohammed VI called in some of his speeches the awakening of the world's conscience that our contemporary world needs to protect our life-worthy planet and ensure conditions of human living, away from wars, conflicts, tensions, confrontations, and misunderstandings.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Peace is not a mere example of abstract ideals, nor is it just a word to be uttered and consumed. In fact, it is a strategic act that requires a tolerant culture, a straightforward approach, committed action plans, policies, programs, studies, and scientific research in the face of all causes of disagreement, dispute, and conflict over power, resources, the vital rights of individuals and groups, or the economic, geographical, political and strategic interests. Indeed, our contemporary world has been overwhelmed by heavy burdens of violence and non-settlement of conflicts, injustices that have been and continue to affect people and their just rights, and other ones.
Thus, in addition to many deep-rooted conflicts, which have become obsolete without the modern civilized world succeeding in finding reasonable and equitable solutions to them, second and third waves of conflicts are re-emerging here and there. Also, conflicts and wars continue to erupt and threaten peace, stability, security, food, and all the conditions of a decent life. That means that the world still awaits much political, intellectual, moral, and preventive diplomacy and that we, as parliamentarians and political actors, must do more to establish a universal environment for peace, tolerance, brotherhood, love, friendship, cooperation, and solidarity. Those who think they can find peace by avoiding life and its conditions are delusional; and so are those who await the achievement of sustainable peace without sustained international engagement on the basis and requirements of peace, including addressing the past injustices, promoting the spirit of equity in the world, granting proactive attention to complex environments that produce violence, tensions, and recourse to armed confrontation options, as well as to crisis-producing contexts.
We are bound by the responsibility of building strategic peace with culture, civilization, solid international institutional bases, morality, and material and moral requirements for the benefit of today's and future generations. Accordingly, I am of the conviction that the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace is the cornerstone of civilization and the future of peace.
Thank you for your keen listening.