Special Report: President Hu visits US, 4 other countries

Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) meets with Salih bin Abdullah bin Hameed, chairman of the Saudi Consultative Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 23, 2006. (Photo: Xinhua)

    RIYADH, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao, in an address to Saudi Arabia's Shura consultative council in Riyadh on Sunday, called for concerted efforts to build a harmonious world and promote peace and stability in the Middle East.

    WORLD HARMONY

    In the address to the Shura consultative council that advises the king and cabinet, Hu urged the enhancement of dialogue and cooperation among all civilizations in a bid to build a harmonious world.

    Efforts should be made to enhance cooperation among all civilizations and ethnic groups to promote the great cause of mankind's peace and development, Hu said.

    Hu made the remarks as he was visiting the kingdom, his second stop of a current five-nation tour, which has already taken him to the United States and will take him to Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.

    "In order to build a harmonious world, we should endeavor to preserve the diversity of civilizations and courses of development, adhere to dialogue and exchange of views between civilizations, uphold the spirit of inclusiveness, allow cultures to complement one another through competition and develop together by seeking common ground while shelving differences," the Chinese president said.

    Hu said all countries should acknowledge the differences in cultural traditions, social systems, values and courses of development of other countries.

    In no way should we use these differences as a pretext to point a finger at other countries' internal affairs, nor should we blame any civilization, nationality or religion for the world's existing disputes and conflicts, the president stressed.

    We should go for collective progress between different cultures as to build a world where all civilizations coexist harmoniously and accommodate one another, Hu said.

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