"Peace perspectives in the Middle East: A focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict" 25 January 2008
 Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics and the Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies* at the University of Nicosia have successfully organised a conference on Arab-Israeli Conflict on the 25th January 2008 at the University of Nicosia
The on-going Arab-Israeli conflict, the longest unresolved conflict in our era, is going through a critical phase. A serious effort towards a settlement now seems underway. The desire exhibited by both sides perhaps indicates both the sobering impact of past failures in efforts for a settlement and the catastrophic prospects of a continuing stalemate. Past accords have thus far failed to produce any lasting settlement and earlier hopes for a serious breakthrough have not yet been realised. The region has never been more unpredictable than today; the situation in Iraq, the nuclear stand-off with Iran and the tension in Lebanon all add to the urgency of seeking a settlement to this old and potentially explosive dispute. The increasing tension in Israel, Palestine and in the wider region has somewhat contributed to defining and refining objectives in more conciliatory tones. That is a condition that must be utilised by the belligerent parties as well as the international community. This conference has brought together strands of opinion from across a wide political spectrum to analyse regional and international developments in this regard. * The Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies is sponsored by the A.G. Leventis Foundation The Program 15.00 Welcoming words Farid Mirbagheri, Dialogue Chair in Middle Eastern Studies Michalis Attalides, Rector of the University of Nicosia, Chairman of Daedalos Institute of Geopolitics 15.15 Opening address His Excellency the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Tassos Papadopoulos 15.30 Panel I Chair: Michalis Attalides The Israeli-Palestinian conflict after Annapolis: Conflict Resolution or Conflict Management?, Shlomo Avineri, Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem A new national initiative that focuses on building the Palestinian human being as a pre-requisite for building the country and for liberation, Lily Habash, Executive Director of the Palestine Forum Europe and the Peace Process, Alexandros Koutsis, Professor of Middle East Politics, Panteion University (Athens) 16.30 Discussion 17.00 Coffee Break 17.30 Panel II Chair: Farid Mirbagheri Back to Reality: Practical Steps Beyond Annapolis, Haim Malka, Deputy Director and Fellow of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. The Inevitability of Failure of President Bush’s Peace Initiative, Ahmad Moussalli, Professor of Political Science and Islamic Studies, American University of Beirut Radical Islam and the peace process, Alexandre Delvalle, Researcher in Islamic Issues, Specialist in Mediterranean geopolitics, writer 18.30 Discussion 19.30 End of Session and Conference |
