TEHRAN -- A new international think tank should be established in which Islamic and Western scholars could review and find pragmatic solutions to their controversial issues, Pakistani prime minister’s special envoy for inter-civilizational relations, Riaz H. Khokhar, said here on Sunday.

In an interview with the Mehr News Agency on Sunday, Khokhar stated “We should promote the idea of a dialogue between the West and the Islamic world.”
An excerpt of the declaration is as follows:
Q: Western countries are trying to depict a negative picture of Islam. Why is it so, and what can be done in response?
A: Well, you know there has been this real campaign in the West, to demonize Islam and present it as a religion that is promoting violence. But this is precisely what we have to question. We should intellectually challenge the West. Let me put it this way, that to my knowledge there are about 1100 or 1200 books that are published in the West in the last two or three years on the issue of the problems between Islamic world and the West, the majority of these books are negative. So the question is, what is the responsibility of the Islamic world. Now the response of the Islamic world is limited to a few articles, maybe a few books too. But that is not enough to make any impact. So what I’m trying to suggest is that we work on some of the ideas that President (Mohammad) Khatami outlined in the United Nations in September 2000. That there is a genuine need for a dialogue. But the dialogue must be among equals. It should be sincere, result oriented, and it must result in resolution of issues, and also removal of misperceptions.
Q: Tehran and Islamabad are two major Islamic players, how do you assess the relations between them?
A: We are not only neighbors, we are friends. We work very closely together on many international issues, also within the framework of the OIC. But... there is more to do. There is need for greater economic cooperation, there is need for greater trade between the two countries, and there is a greater need for people to people contacts. These are very important things, and I’m sure both the Iranian government and the Pakistani government are working towards the subject.
Q: What challenges the Islamic courtiers are facing now?
A: Too many! Look at the situation of the Islamic world at the moment. Most of the problems that you see currently are in the Islamic world. Like the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and there are other issues, Kashmir’s issue remains unresolved, and there is the issue of Chechnya. So, the Islamic world is confronted with the worst of problems. And not to forget the most important issue, the Arab-Israeli confrontation that has been going on for seventy years now, since 1940s.
Q: What can be done about the problems in Iraq and Afghanistan?
A: Well you know, that is a very complicated issue. I think there is a need for greater exchange of views among Islamic countries on how best this issue can be resolved. Our brothers in these countries are being affected. People are being killed. A lot of destruction has taken place. And there is need for the Islamic countries to find some common basis to find solutions to these issues.
Q: Do you think that Islamic countries can resolve their problems without interference of other countries? For example can the people in Iraq and Afghanistan solve their problems by themselves?
A: The United States is involved in Iraq, and is involved in Afghanistan. In both cases, who are the state holders? The state holders are really the countries around Iraq and the people of Iraq. Most important is, what is it that the people of Iraq want? What kind of solution do they want? There is need for all the state holders to help find answers to these issues. Whether United States’ involvement is there or not, the important thing is that how do the people of Iraq want this problem to be solved? Do they want the Americans to go out? If that’s what the people want then that’s the way it should be.
Q: Do you think that Iran and Pakistan, as major players, should make a coalition to solve Islamic world’s issues?
A: It’s not the question of coalitions. We have to have an understanding, ...there are other Islamic countries as well. Islamic world is not monolithic, as you know, there are different views, different attitudes. So, we need to develop a common denominator among all, but it’s not really a question of Iran and Pakistan getting together. We are friends, we are neighbors, we are brothers, we also understand each others’ issues, each others’ difficulties, and feel that there is need to broaden this. An initiative taken by just Pakistan and Iran may not be acceptable to others. So the idea that I’m trying to say is that we must involve more and more courtiers, so that we come to an understanding on how to deal with issues facing the Islamic world