Thu, 13 May 1999

Appeal for a Declaration of Will throughout Europe on 23 May 1999

London, 13 May (NNA) - As reported on 12 May (N990512-01EN), the International Cultural Centre of Achberg has released an “Appeal for a Declaration of Will throughout Europe on 23 May 1999”. The full text follows below:

Appeal for a Declaration of Will throughout Europe on 23 May 1999

Peace in Yugoslavia - Stop expulsion, murder and war

“Once people themselves start talking, they'll soon see eye to eye”

I.

At the end of the cold war, there was great hope in the early 1990s that in all of Europe, too, “what belongs together, grows together” - as Willy Brandt formulated it in 1989 in the context of East and West Germany. The time had come: the vision of “a common European home” (Mikhail Gorbachev) in which all the peoples of our continent would work together peacefully, democratically, in freedom and solidarity, so that on this new path the wounds from the past could heal and no new ones would be caused - this vision did not appear utopian any longer, but a step-by-step attainable, political aim.

But at the same time as largely positive progress was being achieved in this direction, some European regions, formerly dominated by communism, fell back to old, nationalistic, ethnically determined patterns of behaviour - especially in the Balkans. The consequences were and still are violence, murder, expulsion and war with utter contempt for human beings.

II.

In this situation, in which we have been presented with images of such logic of terror without interruption for years, we call on the people of Europe - from the Atlantic to the Urals, from the North Cape to Gibraltar and to the Caucasus - to join in a common declaration of will. This will show that our common desire for peace is stronger than this evil with its abuse of human rights - an abuse even where people think human rights can be defended by bombs.

Therefore we call on our fellow Europeans to gather in the open, in silence, wherever you happen to be, on Sunday 23 May 1999 between 21.30 and 22.00 Central European Time (adjusted for different time zones), so as to express through the largest imaginable public show of unity our firm purpose: peace for Kosovo, for Belgrade and Novi Sad! All who have been displaced must be able to return to their homes and live there under the rule of law and in freedom.

By taking half an hour for once to collect our thoughts, uniting our thinking, feeling and purpose as a European community, and focusing strongly on the unifying idea of peace, this idea can become a real force in the world - and thus a decisive help in solving the problems and underlying causes which have led to present conflicts, crisis and disasters.

For once, half an hour when there is no noise in streets and squares; traffic is at rest; when there is a break on television and radio, in cinemas, theatres and concerts, at parties, during a meal or a drink. In the dark of the evening: outside simply the light from the glow of candles, inside simply the act of reflection on the spirit of fraternity (with its different names in various religions, philosophies and views of the world, or in simple human interaction). This silence can become a powerful impetus for lasting peace. The longing for peace through reconciliation, tolerance and respect for the dignity of each and everyone dwells - we are certain - in the inner core of every individual. It dwells, too, in those who, whether stubborn, blind, misguided or mistaken - are today carrying out inhuman acts.

III.

We call on our fellow human beings in the Balkans, especially the people of Yugoslavia, to distance themselves from the forces which sow hatred, enmity and violence. We call on them to follow a common path towards regard for human rights, national and political democracy, intellectual and cultural freedom, and economic and social solidarity as the commonly-accepted foundation on which the inner values of European society in the 21st century are based. “Once people themselves start talking, they'll soon see eye to eye” (Bertold Brecht, “Song of Solidarity”). They will indeed! But the first step towards this is for all to lay down their weapons and relinquish violence!

We expect the NATO states to recognise that an end to the barbaric expulsion of the population of Kosovo, its return home, and its secure life in freedom under the rule of law cannot be achieved by dropping bombs - at least not without causing even greater harm. This war too, justified by its proponents with well-founded humanitarian arguments, daily kills innocent people, weakens already weak democratic forces further, causes material, economic and social destruction to an even greater extent than is already the case, and is creating ecological problems which will cause increasingly long-term damage well beyond the narrow frontiers of Yugoslavia.

Instead, let us deploy the potential represented by our common will to achieve peace - as proposed here. If it is done with sufficient conviction, we will rapidly be able to apply maximum resources to the great civil tasks of reconstructing the affected regions with the prospect of their inclusion in the process of European integration.

We call on everyone to take the first step now and, at the threshold of the millennium, to conclude this century with its awful legacy of war, genocide and expulsions in a spirit of hope with the appeal:

“Peace for the people in the Balkans - henceforth and everywhere where people hear it!”

ENDS

This appeal for a declaration of will throughout Europe comes from the International Cultural Centre of Achberg (ICCA), D-88147 Achberg, Panoramastr. 30, tel.: +49(0)8380-98228, fax: -675: Email: kulturzentrum.achberg@t-online.de The idea for this project was initially debated at Easter during a meeting at the International Cultural Centre of Achberg in which was attended by participants from France, Holland, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

N990513-01EN Date: 13 May 1999

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