Rome, 15 December 2000
First international medical conference of countries of the mediterranean basin on rehabilitation therapies - organised by the Accademia Internazionale Melitense in Fort St. Angelo, Malta, under the distinguished patronage of the Grand Master of the Order of Malta and of the President of Malta.

For the Order of Malta, international understanding of the word ‘peace’ should be supported and promoted by joint actions. The Grand Chancellor of the Order, Amb. Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Rector of the International Academy, initiated a scientific conference in Fort St. Angelo, Malta, on 11 and 12 December 2000. Doctors and international experts from the Mediterranean area addressed the conference, which had been coordinated by Prof. Salvatore Giaquinto and organised by the Order within the framework of the multidisciplinary activities of the Academy, which is directed by Prof. Paolo Caucci von Saucken. The theme of the conference was "Rehabilitation without Frontiers", and speakers from Egypt, Jordan, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Spain and Tunisia cooperated to agree the drafting of joint scientific programmes in which the Mediterranean Window of the Italian National Research Council (CNR) was also present.

The most advanced research into rehabilitation was studied and compared during the conference. On the agenda: current and planned rehabilitation strategies, joint projects for enhancing the value of human life, scientific experience of different medical approaches and those of the different religious and socio-political areas.

Scientific progress in the service of the sick, treatment to relieve their suffering, as well as hospital care where respect for the dignity of the person were the pillars of the conference, the aim being to help break down political and cultural barriers, to foster peace and fraternity and to programme more extensive and efficient humanitarian and medical actions.

The special position of Malta and the traditional and consolidated experience of the Order in hospitaller and health activities offers symbolic but effective communication for the exchange of experience between the countries of the Mediterranean area..

The conference was opened in the presence of the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra' Andrew Bertie, and the President of Malta, Guido de Marco. The addresses were given by the Prime Minister of Malta, Edward Fenech Adami and the Grand Chancellor of the Order, Amb. Count Carlo Marullo di Condojanni, Rector of the International Academy. Roger Ellul-Micallef, Rector of the University of Malta, submitted a paper during the conference. Speakers in the sessions, which were coordinated by Prof. Salvatore Giaquinto, Head Physician of the S. Raffaele Tosinvest Nursing Home, were: Mohammed A.R. El-Abd (Egypt), Khalil Abadi (Jordan), Xanti Michail and Nicholas Christodoulou (Greece), Haim Ring (Israel), Khaled El Makhtar (Lebanon) and Jorge Lains (Portugal).