At the UN General Assembly's high-level debate yesterday, representatives of three countries discussed the need to encourage dialogue "and mutual respect between peoples of different faiths, beliefs, and values." The UN News Centre reported that the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende said that governments face a challenge "in balancing the need to affirm the cultural and religious values and customs of citizens with building bridges with the rest of the world." That statement, however, implies that in some countries the religious values of people are on one side and cooperation is on the other, thereby leading to conflict with the rest of the world. This only leaves me wondering , which countries did Mr. Balkenende have in mind? Are some religions inherently difficult to balance with international cooperation? The Crown Prince of Brunei also spoke on the issue and said his country "has long supported the need for worldwide dialogue between faiths," and the head of government of San Marino emphasized the importance of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.
