President Barack Obamas Emissary Calls On HH the Dalai Lama

US President Barack Obama's emissary, Valerie Jarrett, called on His Holiness the Dalai Lama on September 13 & 14. She was accompanied by State Department Under Secretary Maria Otero, who she introduced formally to His Holiness as the designated new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. Ms. Jarrett, who is a Senior Advisor and Assistant to President Obama, conveyed the President's greetings to His Holiness and informed him that she was sent to brief him about the Obama Administration's approach to the Tibetan issue. She reiterated President Obama's commitment to support the Tibetan people in protecting their distinct religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage and securing respect for their human rights and civil liberties. She said the President commends the Dalai Lama for being consistent in looking for a solution based on Tibetan autonomy within the People's Republic of China. His Holiness gave an overview of the situation of the Tibetans in exile. He informed Ms. Jarrett of the measures taken by the Tibetans in India to preserve and promote the distinct Tibetan culture and identity through the kind and generous assistance of people and government of India. He also updated Ms. Jarrett on the status of the dialogue process with the Chinese leadership, including the presentation of a comprehensive Memorandum on Tibetan autonomy to the Chinese leadership during the eighth round of discussions in October-November 2008. Ms. Jarrett discussed with His Holiness on the best way the United States could assist in the resolution for the Tibetan issue, particularly in the light of the first visit by President Obama to China in November. His Holiness conveyed to Ms. Jarrett the issues that he would like President Obama to take when he visits China. His Holiness also conveyed his strong belief that the United States and China need to have very good and principled relations. His Holiness greatly appreciated President Obama's concern for the situation in Tibet and said he was hopeful that during his presidency the Tibetan people can see progress in the resolution of their problem. His Holiness is looking forward to meeting President Obama after his visit to China. His Holiness expressed his concerns on a number of issues, including global conflicts and matters relating to the environment. He applauded President Obama's initiative to tackle these issues through cooperation, outreach and dialogue and urged him to continue doing so. His Holiness welcomed the decision to appoint Under Secretary Maria Otero as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and said he looked forward to working with her. www.savetibet.net.ru

MESSAGGIO DEL SEGRETARIO GENERALE IN OCCASIONE DELLA GIORNATA INTERNAZIONALE DELLA PACE
21 Settembre 2009

Il giorno internazionale della pace è un appello mondiale al cessate il fuoco e alla non-violenza.
È un momento per riflettere sugli errori e i costi della guerra, e sul nostro dovere di risolvere le controversie in maniera pacifica.
La maggior parte delle vittime di guerra sono i deboli e gli indifesi. Sono civili innocenti. Padri, madri, bambini.
Senza pace, la speranza di migliorare le loro vite è nulla. Così come esigua è la speranza di poter uscire dalla povertà.
Spesso, anche coloro che lavorano al fianco di questi innocenti rappresentano dei facili bersagli da colpire.
Giornalisti, personale sanitario, operatori umanitari, funzionari delle Nazioni Unite e operatori di pace: ognuno di loro si è trovato sotto attacco.
I combattenti, i signori della guerra, i fornitori di armi e i loro sponsors continuano invece a ostentare una crudele mancanza di rispetto per la vita.
In questa Giornata Internazionale per la Pace, vorrei ricordare a tutti costoro che esistono altre possibili soluzioni. Soluzioni migliori.
Il cammino della pace.
Dovremmo trovare conforto nel vedere che sempre meno frequentemente rispetto al passato si verificano guerre tra nazioni. E che diplomazia e negoziazione stanno divenendo ogni giorno di più la strada auspicata.
E anche quando ad alcuni Stati capita di essere lacerati da conflitti interni, la storia ci insegna che la pace riesce a prevalere se davvero lo si vuole.
In molti casi, i sostenitori della pace sono riusciti a far tacere con successo la voce dell’odio.
Mi riempe di speranza vedere il rinnovato impegno della comunità internazionale riguardo alla problematica del disarmo nucleare.
Ecco perchè ho lanciato la campagna “WMD-WeMustDisarm!”. Fino a che esisteranno armi di questo genere, nessuno potrà considerarsi salvo.
Per questa Giornata Internazionale della Pace, il mio messaggio per voi sarà semplice:Dobbiamo Disarmare! Dobbiamo vivere in Pace!
Mi rivolgo ed esorto tutti i popoli in ogni parte del mondo affinché si uniscano in questo sforzo. Sostenete le Nazioni Unite e fate tutto ciò che è in vostro potere per la pace.

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July 7th 2009, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire, arrested during a humanitarian mission to Gaza, came back home Mairead arrives home after being in Israeli prison.

ëThe Peace Peopleí, the organization leaded by Mairead Corrigan, will be bringing a serious complaint to the Israeli authorities in relation to the imprisonment of innocent people.
Our friend Mairead was arrested on June 30, when the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ëFree Gazaí fishing boat on which the activists were travelling, and detained them. The ship, accompanied by another boat, the ëSpirit of Humanityí, was carrying vital medical supplies, construction materials, children's toys and olive trees to deliver to Gaza.
According to a new International Committee of the Red Cross report, 1.5 million people are "trapped in despair" and poverty in Gaza, with insufficient access to health care, clean water and other basic necessities, unable to rebuild their homes and their lives, due to the closure imposed on the territory. It is against "this cruel siege of Gaza by the Israeli Government, and to show the people of Gaza that the world does care what is happening to them" that Mairead Corrigan Maguire embarked on the Free Gaza Movement's mission.
Mairead's determined participation in this humanitarian mission to Gaza demonstrates her lifelong dedication to peace, non-violence and human rights.
Mairead is a strong advocate of the Global Article 9 Campaign to Abolish War (of which Peace Boat serves as Secretariat), a campaign that strives to protect the war-renouncing clause of the Japanese Constitution and build an international movement to call for a global peace that does not rely on force. Her commitment to the Article 9 Campaign only emphasises the peaceful, humanitarian nature of the activities that Ms Maguire and the other activists on the Free Gaza Movement mission had undertaken.
About Peace Boat: As an organisation that also carries out peace missions and delivery of humanitarian aid supplies by ship, Peace Boat has over many years maintained grassroots exchange with the citizens of Palestine and Israel during our voyages at sea and visits to the region, and we have been dedicated to humanitarian support for the Palestinians suffering through the inhumane Israeli blockade of Gaza. We are thus deeply concerned by Ms. Maguire's and the other activists' detention and by the obstruction of their humanitarian mission. We join our voice to the international call for the immediate and unconditional release of the group and the confiscated aid items, as well as for the unhindered continuation of the peace mission.

Mairead Corrigan Maguire tells about her arrest...

For more information, see:
Peace People: www.peacepeople.com
Free Gaza Movement: www.freegaza.org
Nobel Women's Initiative: www.nobelwomensinitiative.org
ICRC's June 2009 Gaza Report

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The event was attended by Mr. George Clooney, who has presented an unfinished work in progress version of Wes Andersonís FANTASTIC MR FOX to honor the earthquake victims of LíAquila on Thursday 9th July at San Demetrio Camp. Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animated film directed by Mr. Anderson and based on the classic book by Roald Dahl. Featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, it is a story about wild animals, underground tunnels, explosions, flames, burning things, a brilliantly clever fox, and three of the meanest, nastiest, ugliest farmers youíll ever know.
The project sets out to arrange an international event to rekindle hope and to encourage a rebirth of the villages so severely hit by the April earthquake. A vital resurgence can begin with concrete actions performed by courageous people who envisage history and culture as the main driving forces for reconstruction.

THE CINEMA HALL AND THE SAN DEMETRIO CAMP
The San Demetrio Camp was the first one to be set up by the disaster relief authorities. Today, over 15,000 people, including women and children, live in tents in the area hit by the earthquake. These camps have been fully equipped by disaster relief authorities and organized like small towns; the ruins of the villages affected by the quake can still be seen nearby. In the spirit of human resilience, life is slowly getting back to normal and in the camps the people waiting for a safe home, due to come sooner or later, are reorganizing their lives. They are again going to school and resuming trade and the professions, as well as enjoying cultural activities. This is why the association called ìArti e Spettacoloî with the help of the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit, Twentieth Century Fox, Lancia, Eli Lilly, BNP, Gammarad and Fratelli Silveri has decided to resume community life with cultural activities above all the cinema. At San Demetrio as in other camps in the area, cinema tents are being set up. Besides hosting film shows for the people there, they have also become the main meeting points for the reorganization of community life. The challenge is now to create a semi-permanent facility to serve most of the towns in the area of the earthquake epicenter. This means serving a community with a population totalling 10,000. At San Demetrioís camp ìArti e Spettacoloî association started film viewings, courses for youngs and adults, summer activties, in collaboration with the School District and the Comunitý Montana Sirentina. A Music school has now opened, with the partnership of ìIcarusî association. San Demetrioís Municipality is going to restore a city hall where ìArti e Spettacoloî will create a Library of Arts. After the "Sfollati News" experience, a weekly new- spaper managed by students, "Zeronove", a newspaper led by San Demetrio kids, was launched.

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Bono awarded with the "Peace Summit Award 2008".

In this Photo: the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, the President Frederick Willem Deklerk, Bono, the President Lech Walesa, Walter Veltroni, Co-President of the Summit.