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redominantly Muslim Indonesia is pushing for government, civic and religious leaders in Asia and Europe to move beyond dialogue and engage in more concrete collaboration.

The opening of the Fifth Asia European Meeting (ASEM) Interfaith Dialogue on Thursday also saw co-host Finland calling for more women to sit in on the conference that is still dominated by men.

"As our regional interfaith dialogue series matures, it should be oriented toward concrete cooperation on issues of common concern," Andri Hadi, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's director general for information and public diplomacy affairs, said in his statement at the opening ceremony of the two-day gathering.

Indonesia has already initiated collaborative programs designed to promote interfaith relations, including an Asia-Pacific youth camp and an interfaith dialogue involving youths from Asia and Europe, as well as a host of other events designed to promote greater understanding and tolerance between people of different religions, Hadi said.

"I believe if this kind of cooperation and achievement is delivered, we will see more efforts to promote religious tolerance," he said.

The ASEM interfaith dialogue was initiated by Indonesia, which hosted the first conference in Bali in 2005. Subsequently, the dialogue became an annual event, with Cyprus, China, the Netherlands and now South Korea taking turns hosting the gathering.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has also organized similar dialogues in Asia Pacific, as well as bilaterally with countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

In Seoul, Indonesia is challenging participants to move beyond talking and engage in concrete steps or formulate plans of action.

The ASEM dialogue takes place at a time of growing concern that the global economic crisis could undermine interfaith relations, and even lead to more tensions and conflicts or wars between people of different religions around the world.

Finnish Minister of State Elisabeth Rehn argued for greater representation of women in these dialogues, stressing that women have proven to be guarantors of peace and security.

Drawing on her experience in mediating for peace during her previous role as a UN undersecretary-general, Rehn said, "I strongly call upon the leadership in the ASEM countries to enhance the role of women at the tables."

Wang Xuexian, the Chinese Foreign Ministry official for ASEM, called for the forum to expand into intercultural dialogue, to make it more relevant for the people, and cited instances where China had successfully used cultural issues as part of its strategy in facing the current economic crisis.

Host South Korea is using the dialogue to showcase itself as a secular country with a successful multicultural society where Buddhism and Christianity, the two dominant religions, have managed to forge a peaceful coexistence.

"There are tensions, but we manage to weather them," Kim Chong-suh, professor of contemporary religion at Seoul National University, told The Jakarta Post.

"South Korea reflects how a religion imported from the West mixes with a religion from the East."