Desert campaign to save humanity
The Great Temple at Petra, Jordan
The city of Petra was carved from the desert 2,000 years ago
The Dalai Lama and a host of Nobel prize winners have joined actor
Richard Gere for a conference aimed at righting the wrongs of
modern humanity.
King Abdullah of Jordan is hosting the two-day meeting at the
ancient desert city of Petra.
Authors Elie Wiesel and VS Naipaul are among the artists and
scientists in Petra to discuss the way things are - and the way
they should be.
Former US President Bill Clinton is also due to join the
conference.
In his opening address to the conference, entitled A World in
Danger and held ahead of a World Economic Forum meeting on the
Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea, King Abdullah said the modern
world was at a "critical crossroads".
He called for renewed efforts for a peaceful solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a fresh emphasis on Islam as a
religion of peace.
"A process begins here - a process that all of you will shape, and
by your effort, help shape our world," the king told
delegates.
Dangerous times
Mr Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor awarded the Nobel peace prize in
1986, wondered whether the 21st century could escape the legacy of
its violent predecessor.
The Dalai Lama (l) and actor Richard Gere
The Dalai Lama and Richard Gere are close friends
"At the dawn of the 21st century, the planet is already in peril.
The world is thirsty for stability," he said.
"Will wars persist, will disarmament remain utopia? Terrorism,
particularly suicide attacks, are preaching a culture of death.
What can we do to stop that?"
Delegates will discuss four key themes: terror and peace, economic
development and poverty, health and environment, and education and
media.
Recommendations will then be presented to political and business
leaders gathering for a three-day meeting of the World Economic
Forum, beginning on Friday.
Israeli Vice-Prime Minister Shimon Peres, former Northern Irish
political leader
David Trimble and Nigerian author Wole Soyinka are among a total of
44 delegates, 25 of them Nobel laureates.
In his address, King Abdullah said the growth of extremism
demonstrated that more effort was needed "to reinforce the basic
values of humanity".
Young people in the Middle East have known no existence without
conflict and see a world wracked by division, he added.
"They see diseases that wealthy nations have wiped out, that are
still crippling people in the developing world.
"They see gender inequality, holding back talents of half the
world. They see the harm as well as the hope brought by
globalisation."
