Expert opinion

	03.12.06 Victoria Panova G8 research group, University of Toronto, Director for Russia
	03.12.06 Mona Bricke German NGO Forum Environment and Development
	03.12.06 Nigel Martin Montreal International Rorum (FIM)
	02.12.06 John Kirton Head of G8 Research Group, University of Toronto
	02.12.06 Regina Gunter Head of the WWF Germany

News

Putin hails proposal for religious leaders' meeting

MOSCOW. Feb 23 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that an initiative by the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Alexy II, to hold a meeting of leaders of principal global religious communities in Moscow in July "is very good and comes at the right time."

The meeting "will become an additional contribution to the improvement of interaction between people of various faiths, ethnic groups, and nationalities," Putin said at a meeting with Alexy.

The patriarch expressed hope that the meeting would look for ways of surmounting any kind of confrontation between religious communities and seek closer inter-community cooperation.

He pointed out that the meeting would precede a planned summit in Moscow of the Group of Eight industrialized countries (G8).

Putin responded that this was not the only reason why he thought the proposed meeting was well-timed.

"There is a great need for [such a meeting]: we see what is happening in some Muslim countries in connection with the so-called 'cartoon scandal,' and your initiative is very important," he said.

Expert opinion

	02.12.06 Halter Marek Le College de France
	02.12.06 Olivier Giscard d’Estaing COPAM, France
	02.12.06 Mika Ohbayashi Institute for Sustainable Energy Poliсy
	02.12.06 Bill Pace World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy
	01.12.06 Peter I. Hajnal Toronto University, G8 Research Group