KALYAN KUMAR MAHATA
The true appellation of Apu. A Creative Commons license.
International Olympic
Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was in Germany on Sunday for a
gala evening to support peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
Under the title ‘Reinforcing Co-operation -- a German
contribution to the Middle East,’ the IOC President was a guest of
honour together with former Queen of the Netherlands Princess Beatrix,
and Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. Other guests included the
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, head of the German
Central Council of Muslims Aiman Mazyek, Placido Domingo and Daniel
Barenboim.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was the keynote speaker at the gala, which was organized to raise funds for a joint post-graduate educational programme between four academic institutions: The Royal Scientific Society (Jordan), Al-Quds University (Palestine), Tel Aviv University (Israel) and Heinrich Heine University (Germany). Students selected do a preparatory year at their home universities in Jordan, Palestine or Israel before spending a year in Germany at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Studies focus on how Europe built a working peace after centuries of war. The programme, which was created two years ago by the former Israel ambassador to Germany, Mr. Avi Primor, is also intended to build links between the students.
IOC President Bach said: “Strong cooperation and bridge-building are key to progress in the Middle East. Sport and the Olympic Movement have time and again shown their ability to help bring people together around the world where such reconciliation is needed -- and the Middle East is no different. The IOC has been instrumental in bringing the sporting movements of Israel and Palestine together to cooperate. We are helping Palestinian athletes move freely across the region to train and to attend events, but also to ensure that, in line with the Olympic Charter, Israeli athletes are free to take part in all major sporting events. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra provided the perfect backdrop to this evening, consisting as it does of musicians from countries right across the Middle East who can come together to cooperate with such a harmonious outcome.”
The gala in Berlin had special entertainment from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a youth orchestra consisting of musicians from across the Middle East, including Israel, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. The orchestra was founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and academic Edward Said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was the keynote speaker at the gala, which was organized to raise funds for a joint post-graduate educational programme between four academic institutions: The Royal Scientific Society (Jordan), Al-Quds University (Palestine), Tel Aviv University (Israel) and Heinrich Heine University (Germany). Students selected do a preparatory year at their home universities in Jordan, Palestine or Israel before spending a year in Germany at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Studies focus on how Europe built a working peace after centuries of war. The programme, which was created two years ago by the former Israel ambassador to Germany, Mr. Avi Primor, is also intended to build links between the students.
IOC President Bach said: “Strong cooperation and bridge-building are key to progress in the Middle East. Sport and the Olympic Movement have time and again shown their ability to help bring people together around the world where such reconciliation is needed -- and the Middle East is no different. The IOC has been instrumental in bringing the sporting movements of Israel and Palestine together to cooperate. We are helping Palestinian athletes move freely across the region to train and to attend events, but also to ensure that, in line with the Olympic Charter, Israeli athletes are free to take part in all major sporting events. The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra provided the perfect backdrop to this evening, consisting as it does of musicians from countries right across the Middle East who can come together to cooperate with such a harmonious outcome.”
The gala in Berlin had special entertainment from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a youth orchestra consisting of musicians from across the Middle East, including Israel, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. The orchestra was founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and academic Edward Said.
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