Bandung Spirit highly valued by leaders
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-04-22 14:50

JAKARTA -- World leaders vowed to carry on the Bandung Spirit in today's world for the benefit of developing countries at an Asian-African summit opened here on Friday, April 22, 2005.

The Bandung Spirit, which was formed at the first Asian-African summit in 1955 and advocates solidarity, equality and cooperation,was a "major turning point in world history," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

He told the opening ceremony of the 2005 Asian-African summit that Bandung gave the peoples of the developing world a voice on the international stage.

The Bandung Spirit "completed transformed the United Nations" and "is as powerful, as important, and as correct today as it was 50 years ago," he said.

Leaders and representatives from more than 100 countries and regions started to discuss the establishment of Asian-African strategic partnership at the two-day summit under the banner of Bandung.

The Asian-African summit is being attended by heads of state orgovernments from about 50 countries, as well as chiefs of about two dozens of international organizations including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said in his opening speech that peoples of the two continents must cooperate closely to meet various challenges in today's world.

"I would say that the case for Asia-Africa solidarity today is,even more compelling than it was 50 years ago," he said, adding the real challenge of Asia-Africa is "not about developing the power to confront, but the power to connect."

He and another summit co-chairman Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa, shared the view in their speeches that the Bandung Spirit is still relevant and very important in today's world.

The Bandung Spirit means the same in 2005 as in 1955, Mbeki said.

The conference, with the theme "Reinvigorating the Bandung Spirit: Working Toward a New Asian-African Strategic Partnership,"will witness the signing the such a partnership and issue a joint statement on tsunamis, earthquakes and other national disasters.