Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Talks can restore peace in Swat, Malakand: Hoti
PESHAWAR: Amir Haider Hoti, the Awami National Party (ANP) candidate for the chief minister slot said on Tuesday that peace could be restored in Swat and Malakand regions only through dialogue and that the coalition government would include clerics, militants and all concerned parties in the peace process.Hoti was briefing the media at the Shahi Mehman Khana after a meeting with newly elected members of the provincial assembly (MPAs-elect) from Swat and Malakand division. The would-be chief minister warned his government would take action against all those who do not participate in the peace process and continue negative activities. ANP Provincial President Afrasiab Khattak, General Secretary Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Senior Vice President Baz Muhammad Khan were also president at the meeting.Hoti said he discussed in depth the Malakand situation and restoration of peace with the MPAs-elect. He said the incoming government’s priorities and policies also came up for discussion. Hoti said different proposals were forwarded but there was a consensus among the members that peace was possible only through negotiations. “That’s the only way and clerics, militants and all those concerned be included in the peace process,” Hoti added.Hoti said his government would also review the policies of the previous government in this regard and remove the flaws, adding that the meeting did not discuss the formation of government or distribution of ministries. Referring to the renaming of the province as Pakhtunkhwa, Hoti said talks were in progress with the PPP and decision would soon be made in this regard.Waqar Ahmed, MPA-elect from PF-82 Swat-3 who attended the meeting, told Daily Times, “We discussed a lot on restoration of peace in Swat and will unfold our plan after the formation of the government.” staff report
Rice: Peace deal could happen by year's end
By Haaretz Correspondent and News Agencies , By Avi IssacharoffIsrael and the Palestinians can still reach a peace agreement by the end of the year, despite the recent violence in the Gaza Strip, visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday. Rice, who met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, urged both parties to return to the negotiation table as soon as possible. "What we are trying to achieve is not easy ... but I do believe it can be done," Rice said at a joint press conference with Abbas. "We need very much for everybody to be focused on peace," he added. For his part, Abbas said that "peace and negotiations are our strategic choice," but fell short of announcing a resumption of peace talks that his government cut off after the upsurge in fighting in Gaza. "I call on the Israeli government to halt its aggression so the necessary environment can be created to make negotiations succeed, for us and for them, to reach the shores of peace in 2008," Abbas said, referring to the goal - stated at a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference in November - of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty by the end of the year. A comprehensive cease-fire Palestinian sources said Abbas' discussion with Rice centered around the idea of a comprehensive cease-fire in the West Bank and Gaza. Abbas emphasized the need for a lull to allow the peace process to move forward, the sources said, adding that the PA has no problem with renewing negotiations however that an appropriate mechanism must be found to allow for unimpeded progress in the wake of the fighting. Hamas said Rice's visit was unwanted and was intended to cover up "the crimes of the occupation." Earlier, Rice visited Cairo and announced that she had waived the Congressional restrictions withholding $100 million in military aid to Egypt. The funds were released in an effort to improve bilateral relations and encourage Egypt to take a more active part in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Let there be peace!
PEACE and Love in Society (PALS) and the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) will be spearheading a series of events in observation of today's Peace Day.
Individuals across Jamaica are being urged to join in the activities as they take a stance against all forms of violence and disorder.
Janilee Abrikian, general manager of PALS, said Jamaicans are being encouraged to start the day by attending assembly at a primary or secondary school.
"You don't have to have a child attending that school, but it could just be a school in your community or one that you're interested in supporting," she said.
Something blue
Abrikian said individuals are also encouraged to wear blue and to dip their headlights in recognition of the day.
The big event for Peace Day will be a peace march and rally in the Corporate Area under the theme 'Peace for Prosperity'.
The march is expected to start from three points - the National Stadium, Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree and the Hunts Bay Police Station in Three Miles - and will culminate at the Urban Development Corporation parking lot at the Waterfront in downtown Kingston.
The rally is expected to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will see addresses from Tony Rebel, Prodigal Son and other popular entertainers.
A church service organised by PALS will also be held at the Haven of Hope Open Bible Church at 37A August Town Road. The service will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue on to the August Town Primary School, which is to be the school for Peace Day.
March planned
Residents in Spanish Town, St Catherine, will also be having a march from Dempshire Pen to the Prison Oval. The march, which begins at 9:00 a.m, will end at 10 a.m. and will see an address from Henley Morgan.
The community of Flankers in Montego Bay is also expected to have an information fair and peace concert today, organised by the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre in collaboration with the Citizen Security and Justice Programme.
Individuals across Jamaica are being urged to join in the activities as they take a stance against all forms of violence and disorder.
Janilee Abrikian, general manager of PALS, said Jamaicans are being encouraged to start the day by attending assembly at a primary or secondary school.
"You don't have to have a child attending that school, but it could just be a school in your community or one that you're interested in supporting," she said.
Something blue
Abrikian said individuals are also encouraged to wear blue and to dip their headlights in recognition of the day.
The big event for Peace Day will be a peace march and rally in the Corporate Area under the theme 'Peace for Prosperity'.
The march is expected to start from three points - the National Stadium, Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree and the Hunts Bay Police Station in Three Miles - and will culminate at the Urban Development Corporation parking lot at the Waterfront in downtown Kingston.
The rally is expected to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will see addresses from Tony Rebel, Prodigal Son and other popular entertainers.
A church service organised by PALS will also be held at the Haven of Hope Open Bible Church at 37A August Town Road. The service will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue on to the August Town Primary School, which is to be the school for Peace Day.
March planned
Residents in Spanish Town, St Catherine, will also be having a march from Dempshire Pen to the Prison Oval. The march, which begins at 9:00 a.m, will end at 10 a.m. and will see an address from Henley Morgan.
The community of Flankers in Montego Bay is also expected to have an information fair and peace concert today, organised by the Flankers Peace and Justice Centre in collaboration with the Citizen Security and Justice Programme.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Guest editors for peace
Yesterday our Guest Editors from the Violence Prevention Alliance were busy selecting stories and photographs for tomorrow's Gleaner. Under the theme 'Unite for Peace and Prosperity', the team led by Prof Barry Chevannes (right) took over the newsroom at North Street. Dr Deanna Ashley (left) examines a photograph for Monday's publication, while Dr Elizabeth Ward (second left) and Diane Ellis look on.
Maya Angelou honored with Voice of Peace award
MUSIC: Community choirs ring out as Angelou recognized in Dallas
Saturday may have started out gray and drizzly, but by early afternoon it was as sunny inside the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center as it was outside.
That's because the venue was hosting the first of what was hoped to be an annual Voices of Peace celebration, put on by nonprofit group Hope for Peace and Justice, dedicated to "equip[ing] people of faith to be champions of values that will leave the world more compassionate, united, and healthy."
That's according to the Rev. Michael S. Piazza, organization president and the national pastor and dean of the Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope.
Mr. Piazza was just one of several emcees for an afternoon honoring the group's first recipient of its Voice of Peace award, poet Maya Angelou, an award-winning author and civil-rights acticist.
The show drew a packed house that heard an orchestra and the Voices of Peace Chorus, a choir of members of the Women's Chorus of Dallas, the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Cathedral of Hope Sanctuary Choir.
The aggregation filled the bowl of the stage of the Meyerson, all the way up to the magnificent pipe organ, which was also deployed. As this group kicked things off with a number of songs, including several written specifically for Dr. Angelou, the hall's energy began to grow.
The male chorus of the First Baptist Church brought the energy up to tent-revival levels with a rousing version of the old spiritual "Down by the Riverside," a feeling that was clinched by fourth-grader Dalton Sherman, winner of the recent 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition. He gave a stirring speech about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that drew laughs and a standing ovation.
The keynote, however, was the acceptance speech of Dr. Angelou. Walking slowly onto the stage, she managed to convey both frailty and strength.
Her speech took the biblical theme of the rainbow God sent during the flood to give Noah hope. Anyone who does even the smallest unasked courtesy to a fellow man, she said, was one such rainbow.
At the end of her address, Dr. Angelou thanked the audience for being a "rainbow in my clouds" and asked them to consider her the same.
Judging by the response, that was a foregone conclusion
That's according to the Rev. Michael S. Piazza, organization president and the national pastor and dean of the Dallas-based Cathedral of Hope.
Mr. Piazza was just one of several emcees for an afternoon honoring the group's first recipient of its Voice of Peace award, poet Maya Angelou, an award-winning author and civil-rights acticist.
The show drew a packed house that heard an orchestra and the Voices of Peace Chorus, a choir of members of the Women's Chorus of Dallas, the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Cathedral of Hope Sanctuary Choir.
The aggregation filled the bowl of the stage of the Meyerson, all the way up to the magnificent pipe organ, which was also deployed. As this group kicked things off with a number of songs, including several written specifically for Dr. Angelou, the hall's energy began to grow.
The male chorus of the First Baptist Church brought the energy up to tent-revival levels with a rousing version of the old spiritual "Down by the Riverside," a feeling that was clinched by fourth-grader Dalton Sherman, winner of the recent 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Oratory Competition. He gave a stirring speech about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that drew laughs and a standing ovation.
The keynote, however, was the acceptance speech of Dr. Angelou. Walking slowly onto the stage, she managed to convey both frailty and strength.
Her speech took the biblical theme of the rainbow God sent during the flood to give Noah hope. Anyone who does even the smallest unasked courtesy to a fellow man, she said, was one such rainbow.
At the end of her address, Dr. Angelou thanked the audience for being a "rainbow in my clouds" and asked them to consider her the same.
Judging by the response, that was a foregone conclusion
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