VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0456 1421901
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211901Z MAY 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4312
INFO RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 1597
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID 6311
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0578
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1267
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1161
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0941

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000456 
 
SIPDIS 
 
IO/UNP FOR AREINEMEIER, EUR/WE FOR ESAMSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UN PREL SP TU OIIP
SUBJECT: ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS 
 
REF: STATE 042623 
 
¶1. USUN RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING LETTER FROM JORGE SAMPAIO, UN HIGH 
REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR THE ALLIANCE OF 
CIVILIZATIONS, IN RESPONSE TO THE LETTER FROM EUR A/S VOLKER 
(REFTEL). 
 
BEGIN TEXT 
Dear Assistant Secretary Volker 
Thank you for your letter dated 22 April regarding Secretary Rice's 
identification of the US Citizen Dialogue Program as a program that 
furthers the goals of the Alliance of Civilizations. 
 
Based on the description of the program in your letter it appears to 
be very much in line with the objectives of the Alliance of 
Civilizations to build bridges across diverse societies, engage 
youth proactively, and foster intercultural understanding. 
In practical terms, I believe there are a number of ways in which 
the Alliance of Civilizations can engage with the Citizen Dialogue 
Program in a manner that would help extend its outreach and impact 
while also advancing the Alliance's goal of amplifying constructive 
and moderate points of view. Indeed, it would seem that the American 
Muslims who participate in the Citizen Dialogue program would be 
likely candidates for integration into the Alliance's "Rapid 
Response Media Mechanism" (RRMM), a project through which 
constructive perspectives are disseminated via mass media in an 
attempt to foster greater understanding and mutual respect. 
 
Through the RRMM, civil society leaders, scholars, and activists 
with special insight into cross-cultural relations are provided 
public relations training so as to build their capacity to engage 
the media effectively. They are then featured on an on-line resource 
(www.globalexnertfinder.org) that is increasingly being used by mass 
media outlets worldwide to invite commentary on matters of 
cross-cultural understanding - particularly as pertains to relations 
between Western and predominantly Muslim societies. 
It would seem that a cooperative arrangement between the Alliance 
and the Citizen Dialogue Program could extend the reach of the 
participants in your program while advancing our efforts at the 
Alliance to provide broader platforms for voices of moderation, 
particularly during times of increased cross-cultural tension. 
 
Since my appointment as High Representative of the Alliance last 
year, the Alliance has shifted fully from a report-writing body to a 
pragmatic action-oriented initiative, In this light, it is exactly 
this kind of practical programmatic cooperation that I most welcome 
from UN Member States. I therefore hope that we can advance the idea 
in concrete terms in the coming months. To this end, I have directed 
the Alliance of Civilizations Secretariat at UN Headquarters to make 
contact with your office so as to arrange follow-up discussions. I 
look forward to the results of these discussions and to a fruitful 
cooperation with the Citizen Dialogue Program. 
 
 
Yours Sincerely, 
    (signed) 
Jorge Sampaio 
 
 
cc: H.E. Miguel Angel Moratinos, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Spain 
 
H.E. All Babacan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey 
END  TEXT