Region

Klaus Wowereit has been honoured with the Principe de Asturias a la Concordia Award, 2009, before an audience at the Teatro Campoamor di Oviedo (Spain), for transforming the capital of Nazi Germany in World War II into the modern, open and tolerant city of today which, amongst other things, will host the Summit of the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Nobel Peace Prize that U.S. President Barack Obama recently received continues to provoke strong debate. Writers, ambassadors and institutions have opined on the controversial choice. What is certain is that, with this award, it is hoped that Obama makes a contribution to the strengthening of Peace in his country and in the world.

Twenty members of the World March Base Team were received by the Director of the Gorbachev Foundation in Moscow to whom Rafael de la Rubia handed the Manifesto for Peace and Nonviolence. The march spokesperson talked about the importance of the Base Team’s presence in Moscow, where he himself founded the association “World without Wars” in 1994.

After several years’ absence, the Belgian anthropologist, Pat Patfoort, an international mediator in the field of the transformation and nonviolent management of conflict, returned to Milan to present her method at the conference, “Building Nonviolence: training in peace and the nonviolent resolution of conflicts,” and the seminar, “Defending oneself without attacking.”

Rural and indigenous movements, along with teacher, student and worker organizations declared their rejection of the agreement, which could be signed on 30th October, between the Governments of Panama and the United States to reinstall military bases. The project falls under Plan Colombia, now the Mérida Initiative, designed by the North American Government.

Thanks to the mediation work of Luisa Morgantini, a number of popular Palestinian associations, which had been opposed to the event in celebration of the World March at Wallaje, in Palestinian territory, to which Israeli representatives were invited, opened a dialogue with – and their own homes to – the March delegation, recognising its role as an ambassador of peace.

The UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke from Germany, proposed holding a football match between Palestinians and Israelis as a way of helping to resolve the long-standing conflict dividing the two peoples. The UN official claims that the sporting event could be held in Ramallah, the Gaza Strip or in Tel Aviv.

The flags of Peace and Nonviolence have entered Turkey from Syria. The teams met on the sixteenth at a border pass in the region of Hatay, in the middle of the night and on a road with little traffic at that time. The group had come from Syria on foot. After passport control, the two teams greeted each other with hugs and laughter.

On October 19, after having met with some of the well known figures of this southwestern Anatolian city, the Middle East team of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence took part in a festival amongst a gathering of 4000 strong, sharing their message of nonviolence at a time where the possibility seems to be opening up for peace between Turks and Kurds in this part of Turkey.

Rajagopal, founder of Ekta Parishad, a movement that promotes non-violent struggle in favor of the landless in India, is currently touring Europe. In Madrid, he held a meeting with various organizations to share information and create a network of support for his initiatives, aimed at making legal changes to assist the poorest segments in Indian society.