@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@Communique
@@@@@Conflict in the Middle-East: a concern of Mayors for Peace
The association Mayors for Peace wishes to
express its profoundest concern regarding the situation currently prevailing in
the Middle-East, where cities and civilians are deeply affected by the
hostilities.
Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima and
President of Mayors for Peace, calls for an immediate ceasefire and an urgent
dialogue so that affected populations may live in peace, harmony, and justice.
On behalf of the Executive Cities of Mayors for Peace,
Dr. Akiba declared:
gCities Are Not Targets!h The bombardment of cities and
towns in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine with artillery, rockets, and bombs is unconscionable. The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of innocent
citizens are being destroyed. Hundreds have been killed, thousands wounded, many just children. With excessive and indiscriminate firepower, military
action has lost all sense of proportion.
Continued armed conflict cannot be condoned. There must be an
immediate ceasefire.
gEveryone wants and deserves to live in dignity and
security. The overriding imperative is
to promote a dialogue among all people in the region. Retaliation must be foresworn; reconciliation
must be the touchstone. Peace is
possible even now.h
eCities Are Not Targetsf refers to a project recently
launched by Mayors for Peace to end the targeting of cities by nuclear-armed
states. Mayors for Peace opposes excessive
and indiscriminate conventional attacks on cities not only because they are immoral
in and of themselves, but also because they weaken the taboo against the destruction
of cities with nuclear weapons that has prevailed since the bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in 1945.
Encouraged by a proposal from the Mayor of
Montreal, Mr. Gerald Tremblay, the President of Mayors for Peace, with the
unanimous consent of the Executive Cities, is urgently calling for peace in the
Middle East. The Mayors
for Peace Executive Committee comprises Hiroshima (Japan), Nagasaki (Japan), Hannover (Germany), Malakoff (France), Manchester (U.K.), Muntinlupa (Philippines), Volgograd (Russia), Akron (U.S.A.), Christchurch (New Zealand), Florence
(Italy), and Laakdal (Belgium).
Mayors for Peace was founded in 1982 and now has a membership of 1,403 cities in 119
countries and regions throughout the world. The
Executive Committee, on behalf of all our member cities, hereby demands an
immediate end to the violence and a good-faith effort to resolve the conflicts
to the satisfaction of all parties.
Tadatoshi Akiba President Mayor of Hiroshima
Iccho Itoh Vice President Mayor
of Nagasaki
Herbert Schmalstieg Vice
President Mayor of Hannover
Eugeny
P. Ishchenko Vice President Mayor of Volgograd
Catherine Margate Vice President Mayor
of Malakoff
Jaime R. Fresnedi Vice
President Mayor of Muntinlupa
James Ashley, JP Vice President Mayor of Manchester
Donald
L. Plusquellic Vice President Mayor
of Akron
Garry
Moore Vice President Mayor of Christchurch
Leonardo
Domenici Vice President Mayor of Florence
Patrik
Vankrunkelsven Vice President Mayor
of Laakdal
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