Secretary of State John Kerry hosted an Iftar dinner at the State Department Wednesday night as an interfaith celebration of Ramadan. In his remarks Kerry highlighted the need for partnerships across faiths: “partnerships for peace, prosperity, for our people and for the future of our planet.” Kerry recently returned from the Middle East, a trip that he said reiterated to him the need for interfaith respect, dialogue and cooperation.
Guests at the dinner included Obama’s special envoy to the organization of Islamic cooperation, UNESCO representatives, members of Congress, diplomats and activists. The dinner began after sunset in keeping with the Ramadan daytime fast and was held in the State Department’s Benjamin Franklin room.