Italian Leader Launches ‘trialogue’ Involving Jews, Christians, Moslems

Stressing the need for enhanced communication among religious faiths in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf war, Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti has announced the creation of a new international organization, called the Association for Trialogue, to involve Jewish, Christian and Moslem groups.

Its goal is “to reflect together on ways of bringing down the barriers” of “stereotyped ideas and erroneous perceptions,” Andreotti told American Jewish leaders at a breakfast here Sunday sponsored by the American Jewish Committee.

He called on the Jewish leaders present to “help us to find and to maintain institutionalized channels for dialogue.”

The new organization’s first major activity is a conference scheduled to be held in Rome from July 21 to 24. It “will be attended by distinguished representatives of Jewish, Christian and Islamic culture, and outstanding representatives of the cultural, scientific and religious worlds of all the monotheistic communities in the Mediterranean and the Middle East,” according to the prime minister.

The Association for Trialogue was formally founded March 10 in Andreotti’s office in Rome, and is jointly chaired by the prime minister; Sir Leon Tamman, a Geneva-based Sephardic Jewish businessman; and Camelia Sadat, daughter of the late Anwar Sadat.

Raffaello Fellah, a Libyan Jew, heads the executive committee. Tullia Zevi, president of the Italian Jewish communities, is a founding member.

In his remarks here, Andreotti said Israel must restart talks with the Palestinians. “It is dialogue which must prevail over the sound of weapons and violence, and the responsibility of reopening it lies primarily with Israel,” he said.

“More than ever before, we must recognize that there can never be peace and security in the Middle East until the Palestinian problem has been solved and a solution has been found to the lawful aspirations of a people destined to live in peace alongside Israel,” he said.

The Italian leader praised Israel for its restraint in the face of Iraqi Scud attacks and reiterated his commitment to Israel’s security.

“The sound of the air-raid sirens warning the Israeli towns of the incoming Iraqi missiles penetrated into our homes and, I believe, spoke more eloquently than any other argument to strengthen our conviction of the need to guarantee security to a people that has lived for too many years already in a state of war with their neighbors.”

At the same time, he spoke of “Israel’s lost opportunities” to reach a settlement with the Palestinians, which, he said, “might have been at the root of the deep-seated sense of frustration” that led them to support Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.