Nepal to host World Buddhist Summit

The Second World Buddhist Summit Conference is scheduled to be held in Lumbini of Nepal Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 with the theme "Lumbini- A Symbol of Unity in Diversity - The Fountain of World Peace," the Nepal Tourism Board said Monday.

"Hosting the Buddhists Conference in Nepal, the country popularly known as apostle of peace and the birth place of Gautam Budhha, is a matter of pride for all Nepalese people," the government bureau quoted Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as saying.

The summit will provide a golden opportunity for promoting religious tourism of Nepal and that the event should be observed as a national festival, he said.

Expressing his conviction that the summit will be significant in developing Lumbini into a destination of World Buddhist pilgrimage, Deuba said, "All should make contributions in making the conference a grand success."

The prime minister also assured that the Nepali government willextend full cooperation for the holding the conference.

The conference is expected to help promote the spirit of fraternity, unity and peace, he added.

The summit, jointly organized by the Nepali and the Lumbini Development Trust, is expected to bring together some 500 representatives from Nepal and some 196 others from at least 17 countries.

Heads of state, leaders of government, ministerial level delegations, Buddhist monks and nuns and representatives of Buddhist organizations and intellectuals will be among the delegates to the conference.

Source: Xinhua