He was initially bitten by the haiku bug in the early Noughties, by way of a friendly relationship with the man recognized as “Flanders’ Father of Haiku” (a senior priest, Bart Mesotten who gifted him one of his poetry books). Van Rompuy continues to be criticized as incredibly dull since he ended up being selected for the EU’s leading position in the Autumn however some declare his haikus as more energetic.

A devout Roman Catholic and a man of simple pleasures, he takes part in frequent retreats at Affligem Abbey, a Benedictine monastery situated in his homeland. He decided not to campaign for the position of European president, and prior to the Belgian king persuading him into becoming leader, he seemed to be moving in the direction of a comfy retirement centered on literature, faith, country strolls and moreover family life.

Everyone who makes an attempt to understand his personality through his haiku, may ponder as to whether he may have favored that tranquil life to the actual position he’s finished up in. Nevertheless he claims this isn’t the case. Fiona Sampson, who is the editor of Poetry Review, suggests reading through Mr Van Rompuy’s haiku is similar to taking a look at “someone’s holiday snaps”.

The book of haiku is due to be published on the 15th of April.

“Poetry also nurture the spirit of non-communalism, show the path of dreams and consolidate brotherhood and empathy among the people,”

A nationally known scholar Professor Kabir Chowdhury was on hand to inaugurate the conference and festival along with the poet Somresh Devnath, who was in the chair.

Abul Kalam Azad made particular note of Bangla poetry which is the name for poems written by natives of Bangladesh. He went on to say proudly:

“The standard of Bangla poetry equals with the poems of other languages in the world literature as our poets have made the best use of their talent in giving them creative forms,”

The minister also mentioned how poetry had played an important role during the War of Liberation, when West Pakistan fought East Pakistan, resulting in the founding of Bangladesh in 1971.

“Poems of Tagore, Nazrul, Sukanto and Shamsur Rahman, infused revolutionary spirit into the minds of our brave brothers in the war field and the freedom-loving people to drive away the heinous Pakistani occupation forces from our soil in 1971,” said Azad.

An important figure in Bangladeshi history was then remembered. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of the country and the ‘Father of the Nation’, who went on to become both President and Prime Minister before his assassination in 1975. His importance to the Bangladeshi people is shown by the title he was given, namely that of Bangabandhu which translates as “friend of Bengal”.

Azad said: “The poets as the voice of conscience came forward to protest the brutal killing of Bangabandhu and composition of innumerable poems by them to commemorate this great emancipator is rare in the world history,”

Professor Kabir Chowdhury later expressed hope that poetry can play an important role in fighting extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh.

Next week some of Bin Laden’s poetry will be published in the academic publication, ‘Language and Communications Journal‘. Professor Flagg Miller of the University of California, an Arabic studies academic discovered the recitings on tapes found in the terrorist mastermind’s Afghanistan compound after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Millar said the recordings were passed around from person to person rather like pop songs are passed amongst teenagers. The professor’s analysis of the tapes shows Saudi-born Bin Laden to be a skilled poet who weaves mystical references as well as jihadist imagery into his verse, reciting centuries old verses alongside more current mujahideen-era work.

“[The readings] were sometimes given to large audiences when he was recruiting for jihad in Afghanistan… and other times they were delivered at weddings, or to smaller audiences, possibly in private homes,”

Many scholars have protested the upcoming publication fearing that the work has only become of interest due to the notoriety of its author and gives him an unfair forum. However Millar disagrees and believes Bin Laden to be a talented wordsmith with his own unique and distinctive style.

“They also show his evolution from a relatively unpolished Muslim reformer, orator and jihad recruiter to his current persona, in which he attempts to position himself as an important intellectual and political voice on international affairs.”

If alive, Bin Laden would almost certainly still be writing poetry, which is central to the oral traditions of his tribal culture.

“Poetry is part of the oral tradition in the Arab world, which Bin Laden uses to tap into the cultural orientation, the history and the ethics of Islam,” Millar said.

The dozen tapes are currently being refined and digitised at Yale University in the United States and public access is expected to be granted by 2010.