Clinton hosts White House conference on bolstering cultural ties

By Mike Ferullo/CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hosted a White House conference of diplomats, artists and scholars Tuesday seeking a greater role of international exchange and cultural programs in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy.

"It's an opportunity for us to learn more about each other, to understand each other better, to reaffirm our common humanity," Clinton said during his brief opening remarks. "And in so doing, not to blur the cultural lines, but to highlight them in a way to promote peace and reconciliation."

President Clinton makes his opening remarks before the White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy

The White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy also addressed growing concerns -- particularly among smaller nations -- that cultural identities were fast becoming lost amid the bombardment of new technologies and the rapid spread of information.

"These are not exactly new questions, but they are being felt with increasing force because of the end of the bipolar Cold War world and the emergence of the most globalized society the Earth has ever known," Clinton said.

Building on a similar gathering hosted by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright earlier this year, Clinton argued that increased exchange programs create a stronger base for advancing U.S. interests overseas and introducing U.S. citizens to cultural life in other nations.

"I still believe that the role of culture will be fundamentally positive, it will teach us to understand our differences and affirm or common humanity," he said.

The U.S. government began its most ambitious cultural exchange program -- the Fulbright Program -- during the Cold War in a bid to achieve those aims. During his brief remarks, Clinton also endorsed legislation sponsored by Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, and Sen. Joe Biden, D-Delaware, to create a private endowment for similar State Department programs.

Organizers noted that less the one percent of the federal budget is appropriated for international affairs, and within that sum only a tiny fraction is devoted to cultural programming, which has decreased since the end of the Cold War.

President Clinton participates in the White House Conference on Culture and Diplomacy

"I think it's probably not wrong to say that Elvis Presley did more to win the Cold War when his music was smuggled into the former Soviet Union than he did as a GI serving in Germany," the president told meeting-goers.

Clinton's sentiments were echoed by Albright, who argued that culture impacts trade and national security and therefore should be strongly considered in the planning and formulation of international policy.

"Cultural factors play a pivotal role in many of the international challenges we face, from establishing rules for trade to finding common ground in the pursuit of peace," she said.

Other noted dignitaries attending the White House event included: Nigerian writer and Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka; Aga Khan, leader of the Imami Ismaili Muslim sect; world renowned cellist Yo-Yo-ma; and Italian Minister of Culture Giovanna Melandri.

Hillary Clinton praised their contributions toward strengthening cultural ties between nations.

"It is the arts and humanities that give us roots that foster our civil society and democracy and that create a universal language so that we can understand each other better as nations and human beings," she said.