CAIRO, April 16, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – European countries are contemplating a new strategy for dialogue with the Muslim world that would see the focus shifting to popular Islamic parties and NGOs, Germany's first-ever commissioner for dialogue with the Islamic World said on Friday, April 15.

In statements after a closed-door Berlin conference organized by the German and British foreign ministries, Ambassador Gunter Mulack said the Europeans should take the dialogue down to the grassroots, reported Egypt’s daily Al-Ahram on Saturday, April 16.

He added that the Europeans would seek to be in close touch with the Arab and Muslim peoples and NGOs with a special focus on younger generations.

Mulack said Europe, and particularly Germany, will pay due attention to popular Islamic parties, which eschew violence and engage in politics.

The Berlin conference brought together diplomats, media people, professors, and representatives to EU, Scandinavian and Muslim countries.

Mulack is the first-ever commissioner for dialogue with the Islamic world - a post created by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer after the 9/11 attacks to understand the root causes of terrorism and improve relations with the West.

He served as ambassador to Kuwait and Bahrain from 1995-1999 and ambassador to Damascus until 2002.

American officials attending the closing session of the US-Islamic World Forum in Doha last week said Washington was ready to “accept” the involvement of Islamist groups like Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hizbullah in the reform process should they give up arms and turn into politics.

The German diplomat has also called for incorporating NGOs and addressing under-25 youths, who make up some two-thirds of the Arab and Muslim population, the Egyptian daily said.

Media will play a pivotal role in rebuilding bridges of confidence between the two sides, he was quoted as saying.

Mulack suggested organizing extensive training courses across Europe for Arab and Muslim journalists, launching Arab-oriented satellites and communicating with the youths through the Internet.

As for the sticking issues between the two sides, he added, Paris will host a conference in June in an effort to reach common grounds.

Mulack further called for building on the 1995 Barcelona process, a set of goals designed to boost Euro-Mediterranean partnership and lead to a free trade zone in the Middle East by 2010.

Muslim academics and experts are divided on the Euro-Islamic dialogue with one camp viewing it as just “hypothetical” and basically driven by security and political interests.

But the other camp believes that the dialogue is not at all impossible as it can be done through apolitical Islamic NGOs and moderate political powers.