_Section

Russia and the United States started a two day round of negotiations to solidify a new agreement replacing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

On May 15th, 15.000 youths walked in solidarity to express their civic involvement in the streets of Montreal, Canada. This event was organized by Club 2/3, the youth division of Oxfam Quebec. These young people walked in support of the populations in the poorest countries and of environmental issues. They are aware that individual and collective actions have a positive impact on their future and on future generations.

With the death of Tamil Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran (54) and the military defeat of the LTTE, a bitter end of a violent path has come to the nearly 3 million Sri Lanka´s tamils.

After several years work by Nobel Peace Laureates and organizations, the “First Draft of the Charter for a World without Violence” was approved. The final version of it was approved recently at the 8th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.

Several important objections have come in, from knowledgeable and experienced observers, to my last column arguing that pronouncing oneself in favour of human rights should predicate opposition to war. One is from Professor George Kent of the University of Hawaii, who says:

*“I think it is important not to mix outrage at particular incidents within wars with opposition to war as such. The two call for quite different strategies.

Prospects for dealing with particular violations of humanitarian and human rights law seem better than prospects for banishing war altogether. New institutional arrangements are needed to ensure accountability for those violations. Having the perpetrators chant, ‘We are investigating’ is not good enough”*.

The President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, formalized his endorsement of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence in a meeting that took place with the Latin American spokesperson for Humanism, Tomas Hirsch.

In the midst of a heavy offensive from the army against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), hundreds of civilians die in the last days and many thousands are still trapped.

In an important gesture, Evo Morales met today in the Government Palace in La Paz with the Latin American coordinator of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, Tomas Hirsch, to express his endorsement of the initiative.

These were the words expressed by Rafael de la Rubia, president of World Without Wars and coordinator of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, in his presentation of the World March in Spain.

The United Nations is estimating at least 360,000 people have fled heavy fighting in northwest Pakistan, causing the largest displacement crisis in Pakistan’s history.