Letters to the Editor, August 21, 2003

An appeal to all persons in the Israeli/Palestinian deadly ongoing conflict.

As I read daily of the blood bath consuming too many lives on both sides of the border, I am filled with tears for all people who meet a brutal end. I may be living in a world of make believe, but I know that some day the flow of blood will end and all citizens will live together in peace with justice.

In my extensive film library (assumed to be the largest of it's type in north America) I have many documentaries of the terrible Holocaust and the oppression of Palestinian people.

Every time a Palestinian or Israeli dies in violence I feel depressed for the family member left behind to deal with the stress. Every time a home of a family in the territory is destroyed I cry out "there is a better way."

In the name of humanity, in the name of mankind regardless of religion, culture or created anger, STOP THE BLOODSHED NOW AND RELATE TO OTHERS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO TOGETHER DESIRE HARMONY AND PEACE.

Sincerely

Terrance D. Smith

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

This is mailing from Kyoto, Japan. My name's 志賀錬三(Shiga Renzo),just found your items on {Muslim}.As you know, first time to visit your web-sites,I'm too facinated to explain in a word.
I was the staff writer and editorial in the Kyoto newspaper,.After retierd , now I'm teaching in the university on mass-communication. Any way,deeply thanks to you all.God bless you and yours,regards.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sorry but my URL is in mostly Japanese.↓
http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Desert/1512 ozner33@hotmail.com　

With love & peace,

from Renzo Shiga in Kyoto,JPN.

Sir,

How on Earth does bombing the UN in Baghdad help any cause? Whilst I
personally feel that removing Saddam has to be seen as a good thing - the
man was a barbaric lunatic - I can nonetheless sympathise with the
widespread suspicions of both the motives behind the action and the
intentions of the US in the Middle East.

However, the UN could hardly be associated with the US on these issues. Nor
can such action sway any opinion outside a fairly narrow constituency.
There are many inconsistencies and, no doubt, outrages that need to be
brought to an international audience. The world wide coverage of the New
York power cuts illustrated the widely different standards that are applied
to US and Iraqi citizens, an attitude that borders on racism in my opinion.

Pete and Jackie

As the media coordinator for the NGO Coalition for the ICC (Coalition), my job is to reach out to journalists to ensure that they are kept up-to-date with regards to the breaking developments in the establishment of the ICC. The Coalition secretariat, located in New York City, is a global network of more than 2,000 civil society organizations that, since 1995, have worked together to establish and support the creation of the ICC.

Please send me the name and direct contact information of the individual on your staff to whom the Coalition will send (by email or fax) an average of 3 media statements per month. Please let me know if you would prefer not to receive these periodic emails about the International Criminal Court at this email address.

For additional information about the NGO Coalition for the ICC, please visit our web site <http://www.iccnow.org> or review the fact sheet about the Coalition provided below.

Founded in 1995, the NGO Coalition for the International Criminal Court (Coalition) has played a key role in the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - the first permanent court capable of trying individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Coalition secretariat coordinates the work of its more than 2,000 global members with that of governments, international organizations, and the UN Secretariat. Milestones in the Coalition's work include the participation in and monitoring of the 1998 Rome conference, resulting in the adoption of the Rome Statute of the ICC; the Statute's rapid entry into force on July 1, 2002; and the election of the Court's senior officials, completed in June 2003.

While many important steps in the establishment of the ICC have been taken, an enormous amount of work lies ahead. The next phase of the Court's growth will see the development of rules and regulations with regard to legal aid, court management, the defense counsel, a detention unit, personnel, the Victims and Witnesses Unit, the Victims Trust Fund and an international bar association, among other issues.

The Coalition's overarching outreach objectives include: promoting awareness of the ICC and Rome Statute; facilitating the effective participation of civil society in the sessions of the Assembly of States Parties; promoting universal acceptance and ratification of/accession to the Rome Statute and the full implementation of the treaty's obligations into national law; monitoring and supporting the full establishment the Court; promoting international support for the Court; strengthening CICC networks in the regions.

The Coalition is an international network of over 2,000 civil society organizations and legal associations. Steering Committee members are: Amnesty International, Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos, European Law Students Association, Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme, Human Rights Watch, Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, No Peace Without Justice, Parliamentarians for Global Action, Rights & Democracy and the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy (WFM-IGP). Coalition members represent vast geographic and thematic interests, including groups concerned with human rights, women's issues, children's rights, peace, international law, humanitarian assistance, the rights of victims, faith-based issues and disarmament.

The Coalition secretariat is headquartered in New York City and The Hague in the offices of the WFM-IGP. Coalition focal points are represented in every region, supported by regional coordination in Lima, Peru; Mexico City, Mexico; La Plata, Argentina; Manila, Philippines and Brussels, Belgium. Member organizations are located worldwide.

Current funding for the Coalition is provided by the European Union; the Ford Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; the governments of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Sweden; and from individual donors and participating NGOs.

-- Adele Waugaman :: Media Liaison Coalition for the International Criminal Court

777 UN Plaza, 3rd Floor, New York NY 10017 USA T: (+) 1.212.687.2863 ext. 17 :: F: (+) 1.212.599.1332 :: E: ciccmedia@igc.org