The Right Reverend Archbishop D. Jean-Piere Kutwa,

Ivory Coast

Dear Mr. Michel Camdessus, Honorary Governor of the Bank of France

Dear Mr. Jean Michel Debrat, Deputy General Manager of the

French Development Agency

Dear Mr. Kpakil� Felemou, Community of Sant'Egidio, Guinea Conakry

Your Eminence Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino and President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace

Ladies and

Gentlemen,

Allow us to start this statement by warmily welcoming you all participants to this meeting warmily hosted by this beautiful city of Naples. We would like to hail very specially to Community of Sant�Egidio for extending us an invitation to interact with this illustrious audience, bearer of valuable experiences and knowledge and representative of different peoples and countries of the world.

The greatness of this meeting is neither exhausted in the number of countries that are here represented nor in the diversity of cultures, religions, beliefs and races, gathered in this room. The greatness of this meeting also finds explanation in the increasing awareness rising, worldwide, of the role and position of the culture of dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect between the men and women in the whole world. It still lay on taking cognizance by each of us, individually and collectively, of the role that we can play in the preservation of the Peace and security, to the world-wide scale and in the approaching, in structural way, of the problems that have been affecting the Humanity.

Your Eminences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This meeting brings good opportunities to show to the entire world that dialogue is, on one hand, the only way for the rescue and maintenance of the Peace between peoples and, on the other hand, a life way that must be cultivated in our day the day life, in the family and in the society. Diverse topic that are part of the program of this important meeting express our aspirations and expectations and, above all, our preparedness in contributing for the world-wide peace. Essentially, the discussion on the world without violence and the dialogue between cultures and religions consubstantiate adherence to the culture of Peace and the acknowledgement of the wealth that lays on the cultural and religious diversity as factor of the development of the Humanity.

Africa and Europe have been sharing a long common past. With the advent of the globalization, in its current configuration, the relation between our two continents became more intense. Also in result of the globalization the problems of either of the continents have started to be become challenges for both. Within this context, it is in the dialogue and partnership that we have been looking for strategies to respond to problems such as political stability, illegal migration, transnational crime, climatic changes and pollution, just to mention few examples.

We do believe that the dialogue between our two continents will continue to be one of the key instruments for the promotion of a sound and win-win relationship. Fortunately we have been enjoying it and the awareness raising is increasing from strength to strength on our interdependence, which contributes for a more intensity and diversity of contact between Africa and Europe. The major challenge that we are faced with, however, is to promote a common sustainable future because the survival of our Planet is our collective responsibility.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our Country, Mozambique, is most grateful to the organizers of this event - the Community of Sant'Egidio. It was under their mediation and thanks to their adherence to the peace and the importance of the dialogue, that we managed to rescue the peace and to place ourselves in the world map of the economic and social development. On 4th October 2007, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the General Peace Accord signed in Rome. It is 15 years of tolerance, national reconciliation and consolidation of the democracy. It is 15 years of progress in the economic and social development field. One of the prominent figures in this Community, Dom Matteo Zuppi, has joined us on the celebration of this date, whose ceremony included an service attended by different religions.

The Peace has become an irreversible reality in Mozambique, assumed as a commitment of all Mozambican People, her first and last beneficiary. The civil society, the democratic institutions and the citizens at large, are all, hand in hand, and jointly, they are contributing for the deepening of the culture of Peace and for the economic and social development of Mozambique. For all of us the benefits of this Peace are clear.

Still on the Peace that we are enjoying in Mozambique, we would like to highlight, the increasing involvement of the Mozambican people in the various solidarity actions in the hard times due to natural disasters and any other accidents.

As Office of the First Lady legally established to undertake, socio-cultural actions, whose main target group are the children, women, elderly people and people with disability, We have noted with satisfaction the promptitude of our country mates response to the various appeals launched by governmental and local and international non-governmental entities, engaged in restoring of the human dignity of survivors of man made and natural disasters. Throughout the country, the demonstrations of solidarity for the infected and affected by the great endemic diseases such as the HIV and AIDS and the malaria are growing.

To conclude with We would like to seize this opportunity to praise the international community, especially of the religious community, for having trusted the Mozambican people for the preservation of the Peace. Our commitment is to work continuously, in engaged way, to remain a world benchmark and trustworthy.

Your Eminences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

the core message of all religions is peace and dialogue. both are meant to promote the welfare of our peoples, a commitment that developed the interest of Africa and the Europe for a stronger partnership. This meeting is already contributing for that closeness of relations between the two continents and to promote the Peace and Inter-religious dialogue.

I thank you very much.