CDI Asia-Pacific chapter to be launched

Political leaders from Asia and Europe meet in Manila today for the launching of the Asia-Pacific chapter of Centrist Democrat International, the meeting of the CDI executive committee and an interfaith dialogue.

President Arroyo, who chairs the ruling party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, is guest of honor and speaker in this morning’s ceremonies at the Manila Hotel.

She will be joined by former President Fidel Ramos, Lakas founder and chairman emeritus, and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., Lakas president and CDI vice president.

Former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, who is CDI president, will preside over the meeting of the organization’s executive committee.

The meeting will be attended by European leaders and parliamentarians, among them Pier Ferdinando Casini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and newly elected head of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; Wilfried Martens, president of the European People’s Party (EPP), which holds the majority in the European Parliament; and Antonio Lopez-Isturiz, CDI executive secretary and EPP secretary-general.

Lopez-Isturiz arrived in Manila Wednesday, while most of the delegates to the Manila meeting were expected to fly in yesterday and last night.

CDI Asia-Pacific would be composed of Lakas-CMD, Indian National Congress, Thai Rak Thai Party of Thailand, Uri Party of South Korea, Pakistan Muslim League, United Malay National Organization of Malaysia, Funcinpec Party and People’s Party of Cambodia, and Golkar and Democratic Party of Indonesia.

Among the founding members of the CDI chapter are Mrs. Arroyo, Ramos, De Venecia, Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai of Thailand, Member of Parliament Shri Murli Deora of India, Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Deputy Prime Minister Sok An of Cambodia, Sen. Mushahid Hussain of Pakistan, and Golkar deputy chairman Theo Sambuaga.

Members of the CDI executive committee will be attending the Global Interfaith Dialogue, which will be joined by the world’s religious leaders, including former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, Dr. Mohamed Sherif of Libya, secretary general of the World Islamic Society; Saudi Arabia’s Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulmoshin Al-Turki, secretary general of the World Muslim League; and Rabbi Itzhak Bar-Dea of Israel.

The US-based Universal Peace Federation (UPF) is sending a delegation composed of Dr. Chung Hwan Kwak, chairman; Dr. Thomas Walsh, secretary-general; and Dr. Christopher Kim and Julia Kim of UPF-Asia.

The interfaith dialogue is an advocacy of Lakas-CMD to help resolve ethnic and politico-religious conflicts.

The President and De Venecia relentlessly pursued such advocacy until the United Nations General Assembly adopted it in November 2004. Before that, Mrs. Arroyo and De Venecia presented the proposal to US President George Bush at the White House during the President’s visit to Washington DC.

Founded in 1961, CDI has 110 members from Europe, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. — Jess Diaz