Damascus, (SANA) –Ministers participating in the Arab Ministers of Culture Conference, which kicked off in Damascus on Sunday, affirmed in statements to SANA the importance of holding this conference coinciding with the "Damascus, Arab Capital of Culture 2008" festivities.

Qatari Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kawari expressed optimism over holding the Conference in Damascus, which is known for uniting the Arabs, adding that the Conference will discuss issues such as the development of cultural relations, bolstering the standing of Arabic language, and the issue of Jerusalem as Arab Capital of Culture for 2009.

Dr. al-Kawari underlined the importance of empowering the Arabic language, since this issue is a national concern, particularly in the Arab Gulf area where this language is facing obstacles and problems that need to be resolved.

Regarding the role of Qatar in the "Jerusalem, Arab Capital of Culture 2009" festivities, he stated that Jerusalem will be the common denominator among all Arab cultural activities in 2009.

For her part, Jordanian Minister of Culture Mrs. Nancy Bakir underlined the importance of holding the Conference in Damascus, expressing optimism over the issues which will be discussed in the conference and the visions regarding bolstering the Arabic language.

She also pointed out that Jordan will have an important role in the "Jerusalem, Arab Capital of Culture 2009" festivities due to its location and social structure.

In turn, Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Housni stressed the importance of the issues which will be debated during the conference, mainly the issue of modernizing Arab culture and protecting the Arabic language.

"All Ministers agree that Jerusalem is the capital of Arab culture, and all Arab countries will hold activities celebrating this capital inside and outside their own capitals." Minister Housni said,

For his part, Yemeni Minister of Culture pointed out that the conference allows Arab Ministers of Culture to debate various cultural issues and challenges, underlining the role of culture in establishing "a new world distanced from unipolar policy."

Lebanese Minister of Culture Tammam Salam affirmed the significance of holding the Conference in Damascus to coincide with "Damascus, Arab Capital of Culture 2008" festivities, expressing hope that the conference will contribute to consolidating Arab efforts for supporting Arab cultural work.

Regarding the "Jerusalem, Arab Capital of Culture 2009" festivities, Minister Salam said "We're trying to make up for the limited possibility of holding this event in Jerusalem itself due to the Israeli occupation by holding activities in every Arab capital to relay the struggle and suffering of the Palestinian people and Jerusalem to every person and every country in the world."

In turn, Iraqi Minister of Culture Maher Dali Ibrahim al-Hadithi said his country's participation in the Conference aims for building bridges of trust with Arab countries and to affirm that Iraq hasn't distanced itself from its Arab medium.

"Culture is the bridge that can deepen and bolster Arab bonds, which is why we'll work to create communication among Arab countries using the deep-rooted, original Arabic language, especially since dialects and accents hinder communication among the people of different Arab countries." Minister al-Hudaithi said.

For his part, Somali Minister of Culture and Higher Education Abdid Abdullah al-Kahnaf stated that Syria is a deep-rooted country and the heart of Arabism, stressing that holding the Conference in conjunction with the "Damascus, Arab Capital of Culture" has a distinct flavor and expressing pride for visiting Damascus for the first time.

He added that Arab culture belongs to the entire world, not just Arabs, because the Arab world has an enormous economic strength and a deep-rooted global heritage which is Islam, saying "Arab culture is a global culture, and we encourage all efforts for spreading this culture abroad."

Minster al-Kahnaf concluded by underlining the need for confronting the Western cultural invasion and attempts at distorting the image of Islam, stressing the importance of empowering and spreading the Arabic language around the world.

H. Sabbagh / Ahmad Fathi ZAHRA