[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 135 (Saturday, November 20, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2118-E2119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NOBEL PEACE LAUREATES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, November 20, 2004

  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, from November 10th-12th, in Rome, Italy, 
over 20 Nobel Peace Laureates and Nobel Peace organizations met and 
addressed core challenges to our world under the theme--``A United 
World or a Divided World? Multiethnicity, Human Rights, Terrorism.''
  The Nobel Peace Summit was sponsored under the high patronage of the 
President of the Italian Republic, the city of Rome, and the Gorbachev 
Foundation.
  My friend Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security 
Institute, lead the delegation of the Laureate organization the 
International Peace Bureau (IPB), and was instrumental in the drafting 
of the final statement of the Summit.
  I believe it represents a valuable. contribution made by a group with 
profound moral authority. I believe we should consider their concerns 
in our deliberations here in the U.S. Congress.

       Final Statement of the 5th Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates

                     November 12, 2004, Rome, Italy

       Two decades ago, the world was swept with a wave of hope. 
     Inspired by the popular movements for peace, freedom, 
     democracy and solidarity, the nations of the world worked 
     together to end the cold war. Yet the opportunities opened up 
     by that historic change are slipping away. We are gravely 
     concerned with the resurgent nuclear and conventional arms 
     race, disrespect for international law and the failure of the 
     world's governments to address adequately the challenges of 
     poverty and environmental degradation. A cult of violence is 
     spreading globally; the opportunity to build a culture of 
     peace, advocated by the United Nations, Pope John Paul II, 
     the Dalai Lama and other spiritual leaders, is receding.
       Alongside the challenges inherited from the past there are 
     new ones, which, if not properly addressed, could cause a 
     clash of civilizations, religions and cultures. We reject the 
     idea of the inevitability of such a conflict. We are 
     convinced that combating terrorism in all its forms is a task 
     that should be pursued with determination. Only by 
     reaffirming our shared ethical values--respect for human 
     rights and fundamental freedoms--and by observing democratic 
     principles, within and amongst countries, can terrorism be 
     defeated. We must address the root causes of terrorism--
     poverty, ignorance and injustice--rather than responding to 
     violence with violence.
       Unacceptable violence is occurring daily against women and 
     children. Children remain our most important neglected 
     treasure. Their protection, security and health should be the 
     highest priority. Children everywhere deserve to be educated 
     in and for peace. There is no excuse for neglecting their 
     safety and welfare and, particularly, for their suffering 
     in war.
       The war in Iraq has created a hotbed of dangerous 
     instability and a breeding ground for terrorism. Credible 
     reports of the disappearance of nuclear materials cannot be 
     ignored. While we mourn the deaths of tens of thousands of 
     people, none of the goals proclaimed by the coalition have 
     been achieved.
       The challenges of security, poverty and environmental 
     crisis can only be met successfully through multilateral 
     efforts based on the rule of law. All nations must strictly 
     fulfil their treaty obligations and reaffirm the 
     indispensable role of the United Nations and the primary 
     responsibility of the UN Security Council for maintaining 
     peace.
       We support a speedy, peaceful resolution of the North 
     Korean nuclear issue, including a verifiable end to North 
     Korea's nuclear weapons program, security guarantees and 
     lifting of sanctions on North Korea. Both the six-party talks 
     and bilateral efforts by the United States and North Korea 
     should contribute to such an outcome.
       We welcome recent progress in the talks between Iran and 
     Great Britain, France and Germany on the Iranian nuclear 
     program issue and hope that the United States will join in 
     the process to find a solution within the framework of the 
     International Atomic Energy Agency.
       We call for the reduction of military expenditures and for 
     conclusion of a treaty that would control arms trade and 
     prohibit sales of arms where they could be used to violate 
     international human rights standards and humanitarian law.

[[Page E2119]]

       As Nobel Laureates, we believe that the world community 
     needs urgently to address the challenges of poverty and 
     sustainable development. Responding to these challenges 
     requires the political will that has been so sadly lacking.
       The undertakings pledged by states at the UN Millennium 
     Summit, the promises of increased development assistance, 
     fair trade, market access and debt relief for developing 
     countries, have not been implemented. Poverty continues to be 
     the world's most widespread and dangerous scourge.
       Millions of people become victims of hunger and disease, 
     and entire nations suffer from feelings of frustration and 
     despair. This creates fertile ground for extremism and 
     terrorism. The stability and future of the entire human 
     community are thus jeopardized.
       Scientists are warning us that failure to solve the 
     problems of water, energy and climate change will lead to a 
     breakdown of order, more military conflicts and ultimately 
     the destruction of the living systems upon which civilization 
     depends. Therefore, we reaffirm our support for the Kyoto 
     Protocol and the Earth Charter and endorse the rights-based 
     approach to water, as reflected in the initiative of Green 
     Cross International calling upon governments to negotiate a 
     framework treaty on water.
       As Nobel Peace Prize Laureates we believe that to benefit 
     from humankind's new, unprecedented opportunities and to 
     counter the dangers confronting us there is a need for 
     better global governance. Therefore, we support 
     strengthening and reforming the United Nations and its 
     institutions.
       As immediate specific tasks, we commit to work for:
       --Genuine efforts to resolve the Middle East crisis. This 
     is both a key to the problem of terrorism and a chance to 
     avoid a dangerous clash of civilizations. A solution is 
     possible if the right of all nations in the region to secure 
     viable statehood is respected and if the Middle East is 
     integrated in all global processes while respecting the 
     unique culture of the peoples of that region.
       --Preserving and strengthening the Nuclear Non-
     Proliferation Treaty. We reject double standards and 
     emphasize the legal responsibility of nuclear weapons states 
     to work to eliminate nuclear weapons. We call for 
     continuation of the moratorium on nuclear testing pending 
     entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and 
     for accelerating the process of verifiable and irreversible 
     nuclear arms reduction. We are gravely alarmed by the 
     creation of new, usable nuclear weapons and call for 
     rejection of doctrines that view nuclear weapons as 
     legitimate means of war-fighting and threat pre-emption.
       --Effectively realizing the initiative of the UN Secretary 
     General to convene a high level conference in 2005 to give an 
     impetus to the implementation of the Millennium Development 
     Goals. We pledge to work to create an atmosphere of public 
     accountability to help accomplish these vitally important 
     tasks.
       We believe that to solve the problems that challenge the 
     world today politicians need to interact with an empowered 
     civil society and strong mass movements. This is the way 
     toward a globalization with a human face and a new 
     international order that rejects brute force, respects 
     ethnic, cultural and political diversity and affirms justice, 
     compassion and human solidarity.
       We, the Nobel Peace Laureates and Laureate organizations, 
     pledge to work for the realization of these goals and are 
     calling on governments and people everywhere to join us.
       Mikhail Gorbachev, Kim Dae-Jung, Lech Walesa, Joseph 
     Rotblat, Jose Ramos-Horta, Betty Williams, Mairead Corrigan 
     Maguire, Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, 
     and Rigoberta Menchu Tum; and, United Nations Children's 
     Fund, Pugwash Conferences, International Physicians for the 
     Prevention of Nuclear War, International Peace Bureau, 
     Institut de Droit International, American Friends Service 
     Committee, Medicins sans Frontieres, Amnesty International, 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International 
     Labour Organization, International Campaign to Ban Land 
     Mines, Albert Schweitzer Institute, United Nations.

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