He also denied any role in the unequal distribution of funding along racial and ethnic lines during his time as minister of education in South Africa.
"We should close the book on the past," de Klerk said.
De Klerk focused his speech on the theoretical problems of cutural strife within nations, drawing examples from current international crisises such as Bosnia and the "often-ignored" civil war in Sudan.
He did not, however, address the history of South Africa.
In his distinct Afrikaaner accent, de Klerk philosophized about extending the concept of individual rights to communities, to protect groups just as governments now protect individuals.
He also pointed to intercommunal conflict among ethnic, religious and cultural groups as the cause of much of the world's problems.
"Why are there so many serious conflicts? Analysis will show it was a failure to manage diversity," de Klerk told the crowd.
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