Peace walkers want early start to Kosovo
Internet discussion list to open tonight
Gent (Belgium), June 8 1999 - After balancing the advantages and disadvantages this afternoon, a group of peace walkers decided to make an early start with a peace walk to Kosovo. The walkers stress that in the current situation with insecure perspectives on a political agreement for the end of the war in the Balkan, participants have to put their lives on hold, and organise the peace walk as soon and as best as possible.
They propose to set up a base camp for non-violent training and last practical preparations in the Balkan in the second half of June, just following the G8 summit in Koeln (Germany). The walkers propose to start when participants of the base camp agree that time is ready to start the non-violent walk, preferably before the end of June.
Today the walkers considered three proposed routes. Italian groups propose to start in the South-Italian port of Bari, cross the Adriatic Sea to Montenegro, to walk to Pristina and Belgrade. A Macedonian NGO invites people to start in the Greek port of Thessaloniki. A large majority of the population of this NATO member state is opposed to NATO's bombing. This walk would go through Macedonia and visit NATO bases and refugee camps, before heading towards Pristina and end in the Yugoslavian capital. The third proposal is to start in the Romanian border town of Timisoara, walk to Belgrade and end in Pristina.
Interested NGO's and non-violent peace walkers will start discussing the different proposals, timing and many related issues over the next couple of days, using an internet discussion list which is being set up by For Mother Earth in the next couple of hours. The previous days many groups and individuals have expressed their interest for the peace walk. For Mother Earth states that time has now come to share the vision and tasks amongst as many NGO's and participants as possible.
For Mother Earth and other NGO's who are very concerned about the security and already depleted resources of local people, state that they need all NGO's and participants to consider these as a priority issues when moving ahead with the plans for this non-violent presence in the midst of the war-torn Balkans.
-> Next meeting: Tuesday June 15, 12 noon to 5 p.m. in 'Vredeshuis', Sint-Margrietstraat, 9000 Gent, Belgium ----------------
For Mother Earth contacts:
North-America:
Mark Stansbery, 1101 Bryden Road, Columbus, Ohio 43205, USA
Phone +1-614-252-9255 Fax +1-614-268 2637 E-mail
Europe :
Pol D'Huyvetter, Lange Steenstraat 16/d, 9000 Gent, Belgium
Phone +32-9-233 84 39 or +32-495-28 02 59 Fax +32-9-233 73 02 E-mail:
Source: Mother Earth
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