President Hassan Rouhani proposed that December 18 be designated as international day against violence and extremism.
He made the proposal at the high-level international Conference on World Against Violence and Extremism which started in Tehran on Monday.
Rouhani, who was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the two-day meeting, said the international endorsement of the idea of "World Against Violence and Extremism (WAVE)" and its subsequence approval at the United Nations underscores the necessity of addressing the issue of violence in the world.
Rouhani was referring to a vote by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2013 to adopt his proposal as a resolution which calls on all nations across the globe to denounce violence and extremism.
In his speech on Tuesday, the president presented proposals to address the current wave of terrorism and extremism that has plagued the region and the world.
He said state sponsors of terrorism must openly renounce financing and supporting terrorist organizations and "cooperate with the countries that have suffered from terrorism through offering financial, intelligence and military aid."
The president pointed to the extensive economic and political cooperation and interaction at international level that has helped reduce terrorism and extremist acts, but lamented the fact that "in parts of the world, including the Middle East, violence takes the lives of tens of women and children every day."
He said as a result of the atrocities committed by the self-declared Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria, these two countries "have suffered unprecedented human loss, and the countries that contributed to the current situation must take the responsibility to compensate for the damage."
"If regional countries reach a consensus among themselves, they can defeat anti-Islam movements like Daesh (IS) in a short period of time…if that happens then there will be no need for presence of foreign countries and their expanding leverage in our region."
"I seize the opportunity and request all regional states to make efforts to lead the Middle East toward peace and security through consultations, logical and reasonable policies and by establishing a regional coalition," Rouhani stated.
The president urged regional cooperation to reform education systems in an effort to counter extremist and violent interpretations of religious teachings. Rouhani underlined the need for a global campaign to confront misuse of cyberspace and social networks by terrorists. He also called for establishment of an international fund to contribute to job creation plans and the development of countries that have been affected by terrorism.
He also criticized the UN Security Council’s incompetence in dealing with serious threats to international peace and security and called on the world body to play a more active role in the campaign against terrorism.
President Hassan Rouhani speaks at the Conference on World Against Violence and Extremism in Tehran on Monday.
