unicode fonts and the GTK

["James K. Lowden" <jklowden schemamania org>]

Hello, 

Someone on another list discussing a different GTK-based application
stated that GTK has a limitation: it cannot display "accented European
characters (French, German) AND
Japanese" in the same ... something.  

I know Dia is undergoing major freetype fontism and pangosity, and
wondered if anyone here is familiar with such a limitation?  I'd like to
understand the problem better, if you wouldn't mind explaining it or
pointing out some resources.  

For reasons I've never really been able to enumerate, I want everything to
display everything, no -centrism involved.  

Hope you don't think this question is OT.  

TIA.

--jkl