The conference brings together dignitaries from all over the world.

By Dalia Al-Hadidi, IOL Correspondent

DOHA, February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – World dignitaries opened on  Sunday, February 26, the second conference of the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations in Doha, urging action not talk to bridge the yawning gap between the Muslim world and the West after the publication of Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

"Lofty ideas alone are not enough ... We need to develop sobering, but equally compelling counter-narratives of our own," UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told the delegates.

"I very much hope that you can come up with specific, concrete suggestions for ways of carrying dialogue forward so that it can really catch the popular imagination; so that we are not just a nice group of people agreeing with each other, but people with a message that can echo around the world."

The Alliance of Civilizations initiative, launched in November 2005 by Spain and Turkey , has created a "high-level group" of some 20 members including Iran 's former president Mohammed Khatami, former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine, South Africa 's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the wife of Qatar 's emir Sheikha Mozah.

The group, which had its first meeting in Palma de Mallorca , Spain , in November and will have two more meetings after Doha , is expected to come up with concrete steps for promoting dialogue between cultures that will be presented to the UN, other international organizations and world governments in the autumn.

The issue of West-Islam dialogue has gained more urgency in view of the controversy triggered by the publication of cartoons mocking Prophet Muhammad.

The drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have sparked worldwide protests, which in some cases turned violent.

Youths

"Lofty ideas alone are not enough," said Annan.

Many of the speakers underlined the need to accord special attention to the younger generation.

"It is very important to reach young people before their ideas and attitudes have fully crystallized," Annan said.

He urged world figures, especially artists, entertainers and sports champions, to join hands in promoting the ideology of tolerance and understanding between cultures among youths before they are swayed by extremists.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al-Thani agreed.

"Youths should also play a strategic role in building bridges between civilizations," he told the participants.

Federico Mayor, the former director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said it is high time the parties concerned took a concrete step.

He called on NGOs and governments to launch a practical program to enhance understanding between the peoples of the world. 

Political Problems

Spain 's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos proposed looking at the political problems feeding the growing rift between East and West.

"We should try to identify the main political problems that feed these growing suspicions," he said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The Israeli occupation of Palestine and the US-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are often cited by politicians, experts and analysts as the root of the state of anger towards the West in the Muslim world.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has admitted there can be no security solution to terrorist attacks without addressing the underlying causes of terrorism.

David Clark, a former Labour government adviser, has said that the world cannot defeat terrorism until it was ready to take legitimate Arab grievances seriously.