By
The Associated Press
DAVOS, Switzerland - After hearing some of the world's leading capitalists, the World Economic Forum drew to a close Tuesday with a look at a subject that has often eclipsed money in its ability to cause discord and anger: religion.
A group of religious leaders, including the chief rabbi of Israel, Meir Lau, and the grand mufti of Bosnia, Mustafa Ceric, issued a statement calling on business and political communities to hold dialogue with religious groups.
"The issues of globalization cannot be solved only on the levels of technology, economics and politics," Ceric said.
"We should include into process of globalization the meaning of morality, and I would say especially a morally inspired law that will guarantee the success of shortening the gap between those who are too rich and those who are too poor."
Roman Catholic Archbishop Diarmuid Martin added, "Working toward inclusion, overcoming exclusion, is both an ethical and economic challenge."
"We want to see how we can construct a world in which more people can participate," said Martin, the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
The six-day meeting of world political and business leaders began with an address from the emir of Qatar on the role that Islam can play in the world, in which he noted that "the world should fear ignorance and poverty rather than religion."
The religious leaders said it was fitting the meeting should end with the subject of religion, allowing participants to leave on a spiritual note following days of serious economic discussion.
Many of Tuesday's events offered a lighter end to the forum. A group of musicians and filmmakers were honored for using their art to reach out to other cultures.
At the end of a series of private meetings between government ministers and business leaders, former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat said the leaders had agreed there was room for "cautious optimism" over the global economic outlook.
"It is clear the United States economy is in a slowdown, but the recession isn't on the horizon," he said.
Government ministers also expressed confidence that a new round of trade liberalization negotiations could be launched by the World Trade Organization at its meeting in Qatar in the fall, he added.
The forum has continued to receive criticism from grass-roots groups that it is only interested in profits for its corporate members and does not take enough interest in what damage is being done to the environment, employees or people in developing nations.
Small demonstrations have continued in various cities across Switzerland since some 1,000 people went on the rampage in Zurich Saturday night, infuriated by security which had stopped most of them from getting to Davos.
Police in the capital city, Bern, said they arrested 13 people aged 15 to 22 following an attack on a McDonald's restaurant Monday night.
Three members of the environmental group Friends of the Earth International dressed up as "fat cats" Monday and handed out leaflets claiming that the forum was guilty of a policy of "see no problem, hear no protest, speak no truth."
