A four-day international seminar on Holocaust and Nanjing Massacre in World War II opened Monday in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.  

The seminar, which is designed to commemorate the 60 anniversary of the victory of the world's war against fascism, is attended by more than 80 specialists from countries including the US, Britain, France, Israel and China.

It is sponsored jointly by the Institute of Jewish Culture with Nanjing University, the Nanjing Massacre Research Center of Nanjing Normal University and the London Jewish Cultural Center.

During the seminar, participants will discuss topics ranging from historical evidence of atrocities committed by the Nazis on Jews, Nanjing Massacre, impact of the atrocities on the contemporary society, as well as ways for research and education in this regard.

Xu Xin, head of the Institute of Jewish Culture with the elite Nanjing University, said that two separate cases of genocide taking place in Asia and Europe being dealt with at the seminar would be conducive to research on and understanding of the atrocities in human history, especially research on Nanjing Massacre, and would be of positive significance in drawing lessons from history and striving for the common goal of world peace.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2005)