[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15474]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       COMMITMENT TO WORLD PEACE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my 
commitment to world peace and to stress the importance of establishing 
dialogue and understanding among all people. It is in recognition of 
this need that on Tuesday, June 24, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rayburn Room 
B338-340, the American Leadership Initiative will hold a special awards 
ceremony to honor great Americans from all 50 States who have 
demonstrated a commitment to peace. Many of my colleagues will join me 
and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), co-chair, in giving 
tribute to some of the outstanding Americans from our districts. 
Members of the clergy, legislators, educators, business and community 
leaders will be among those honored with the ``Ambassadors for Peace 
Award-Excellence in Leadership.'' These committed citizens have been 
working to renew and strengthen our families and marriages, restore our 
communities, and rebuild our Nation and indeed our world. We are 
grateful to the founders of Ambassadors for Peace, the Reverend and 
Mrs. Sun Myung, for promoting the vision of world peace, and we commend 
them for their work.
  These Ambassadors for Peace have become increasingly effective and 
relevant in their communities since the tragedy of 9-11. They have been 
working together to promote understanding among all faiths, 
particularly with Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders. With the 
realization that many of the tensions currently facing the world cannot 
be addressed without consideration of the religious implications 
involved, the Ambassadors for Peace have formed an American 
Interreligious Council. This council seeks to support and advise our 
Nation's leaders concerning the issues and challenges of seeking 
lasting peace. The American Interreligious Council is also part of the 
effort to create an international council of religious leaders. The 
members of this council will support the leaders of the United Nations 
as they work to resolve conflicts throughout the world. This body will 
provide a direct link between international leaders and the various 
religious peoples in their constituencies. This will help to ensure 
that peace agreements are embraced by the diverse communities these 
leaders represent.
  Today, though crisis is at our doorstep, we must maintain an 
unwavering hope for peace. It has become clear that the establishment 
of a lasting peace throughout the world will only come to full fruition 
through the ongoing dialogue and cooperation of religious and political 
leaders. The Ambassadors for Peace are working tirelessly to bring 
about international cooperation and are to be commended for their 
leadership in this great effort. I again commend them for their efforts 
because they understand that peace is not necessarily found in 
covenants, treaties and charters, as was once echoed by President John 
F. Kennedy, but is indeed found in the hearts of men and women. And as 
they work throughout the Nation and throughout the world to spread the 
message of peace, we look forward to seeing them here on Tuesday, June 
24, and share with them as they give awards to those who do the work in 
the field.

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