KeJia Sista
Aug 27th, 2005, 02:19 PM
Iran may receive visit from local peace advocates
By SUZAN CLARKE
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: August 25, 2005) If you go
ï To request an an application and instructions, send e-mail to iran@forusa.org or call 845-358-4601, ext. 27.
ï For more information on the Iran Program or FOR, visit http://www.forusa.org/.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation is planning its first-ever peace missions to Iran.
"We're calling it a fact-finding friendship delegation, but it really is about making people-to-people connections," Pat Clark, executive director of the Upper Nyack-based interfaith peace organization, said yesterday.
FOR is planning the outreach as part of its official launch this month of its Iran initiative, a project to discover alternatives to the current political standoff between the United States and the Islamic theocracy.
The two missions are being planned in partnership with Peace Action and Muslim Peace Fellowship. The first will be Dec. 1 through 14, and the second will be in April 2006.
"We've felt that there's been a lot of talk about Iranians in the news and coverage about Iran's desire to have nuclear power that's created some concerns, some anxiety for folks in this country, and of course, our country's response has been a bit antagonistic," Clark said.
A pacifist organization, FOR has long been undertaking peace missions to other countries during periods of tension.
Formal delegations have gone to Israel, Colombia, Vietnam during the 1960s and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War. FOR representatives have also visited Haiti and Iraq, Clark said.
The possibility that Iran could develop or possess weapons of mass destruction has been expressed by the Bush administration as cause for increasing concern.
Clark pointed out that the FOR delegations' focus would be to meet with "everyday Iranians, not the Iranian government, not the politicos or top religious leaders."
Interaction with representatives from non-governmental organizations working in the educational, medical, business and religious fields, could help to reduce the "demonizing" that can typify "the back and forth conflicts that go on on a government level," she added.
Washington has no diplomatic presence in Iran, and Iran does not have diplomatic representation in the United States.
Securing visas to visit Iran will take about two months, Clark said, but added she was confident they would be issued.
"We've been assured that folks would welcome the opportunity to have U.S. citizens who want to have this cultural exchange and this people-to-people diplomacy," she said. "So far, we feel like we've been given a lot of access."
The upcoming missions could illuminate people's understanding of each other by dispelling potentially harmful misconceptions, she added.
"We're aware that when people relate to people on a human level, they begin to focus on the things they have in common versus the things that separate us," Clark said.
About 200 people ó including law professors, artists, religious leaders, academics ó have already expressed an interest in participating, but the FOR missions will be limited to a maximum of 20 people, she said.
Those selected will represent America's diversity, be interested in experiencing a new culture and willing to share information about their visits upon their return, and be advocates for peace within their communities and with key government personnel, she added.
The round-trip cost will be $3,300.
The FOR contingents will visit Tehran, the capital, as well as the cities of Isfahan, Qom and Shiraz.
Ke Jia
By SUZAN CLARKE
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original Publication: August 25, 2005) If you go
ï To request an an application and instructions, send e-mail to iran@forusa.org or call 845-358-4601, ext. 27.
ï For more information on the Iran Program or FOR, visit http://www.forusa.org/.
The Fellowship of Reconciliation is planning its first-ever peace missions to Iran.
"We're calling it a fact-finding friendship delegation, but it really is about making people-to-people connections," Pat Clark, executive director of the Upper Nyack-based interfaith peace organization, said yesterday.
FOR is planning the outreach as part of its official launch this month of its Iran initiative, a project to discover alternatives to the current political standoff between the United States and the Islamic theocracy.
The two missions are being planned in partnership with Peace Action and Muslim Peace Fellowship. The first will be Dec. 1 through 14, and the second will be in April 2006.
"We've felt that there's been a lot of talk about Iranians in the news and coverage about Iran's desire to have nuclear power that's created some concerns, some anxiety for folks in this country, and of course, our country's response has been a bit antagonistic," Clark said.
A pacifist organization, FOR has long been undertaking peace missions to other countries during periods of tension.
Formal delegations have gone to Israel, Colombia, Vietnam during the 1960s and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics during the Cold War. FOR representatives have also visited Haiti and Iraq, Clark said.
The possibility that Iran could develop or possess weapons of mass destruction has been expressed by the Bush administration as cause for increasing concern.
Clark pointed out that the FOR delegations' focus would be to meet with "everyday Iranians, not the Iranian government, not the politicos or top religious leaders."
Interaction with representatives from non-governmental organizations working in the educational, medical, business and religious fields, could help to reduce the "demonizing" that can typify "the back and forth conflicts that go on on a government level," she added.
Washington has no diplomatic presence in Iran, and Iran does not have diplomatic representation in the United States.
Securing visas to visit Iran will take about two months, Clark said, but added she was confident they would be issued.
"We've been assured that folks would welcome the opportunity to have U.S. citizens who want to have this cultural exchange and this people-to-people diplomacy," she said. "So far, we feel like we've been given a lot of access."
The upcoming missions could illuminate people's understanding of each other by dispelling potentially harmful misconceptions, she added.
"We're aware that when people relate to people on a human level, they begin to focus on the things they have in common versus the things that separate us," Clark said.
About 200 people ó including law professors, artists, religious leaders, academics ó have already expressed an interest in participating, but the FOR missions will be limited to a maximum of 20 people, she said.
Those selected will represent America's diversity, be interested in experiencing a new culture and willing to share information about their visits upon their return, and be advocates for peace within their communities and with key government personnel, she added.
The round-trip cost will be $3,300.
The FOR contingents will visit Tehran, the capital, as well as the cities of Isfahan, Qom and Shiraz.
Ke Jia