UN Tries to Heal Religious Divide

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is due to be presented with a plan of action to ease increasing polarisation of Muslim and Western societies.

The report is by a group of prominent international figures, including Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and ex-Iranian president Mohammad Khatami.

They have been brought together under the United Nations initiative, the Alliance of Civilisations.

The report will be presented at a ceremony in Istanbul. It is the product of 20 minds: prominent international figures from a variety of religions.

They have been meeting over the past year to examine the root causes of the increasing divide between the Muslim world and the West.

Their mandate was to propose a concrete plan of action to bridge the gap and overcome mutual feelings of fear and suspicion.

BBC NEWS | Europe | UN tries to heal religious divide