Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-07-27

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Regional organisations play increasingly crucial role in addressing global challenges, Greek UN ambassador says

[02] PASOK leader addresses IWC founding meeting in Istanbul

[01] Regional organisations play increasingly crucial role in addressing global challenges, Greek UN ambassador says

Vassilakis emphasised that geographic proximity and close historical and cultural ties which regional organisations' members share enable these organisations to better understand the causes behind conflicts aflicting their regions and to find peaceful solutions.

According to the Greek UN ambassador, some organisations have managed to prevent conflict and contribute to their respective region's stabilisation.

Vassilakis said that Tuesday's meeting was particularly timely given the new threats that have emerged against world peace and in light of UN reforms.

He said that the UN Security Council intends to continue negotiations it previously had regarding working more closely with regional organisations in maintaining peace and security.

Greece has assumed the presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of July.

[02] PASOK leader addresses IWC founding meeting in Istanbul

The Commission, which has been evolved from the Jerusalem Link as an independent tripartite organisation comprising empowered women from Israel, Palestine and the international community, operates under the auspices of the United Nations. Its aim is to enable Israeli and Palestinian women to work together towards peace in the Middle East.

During his speech, Papandreou stressed that women's participation must be established legislatively so that it can contribute to the creation of a new culture in peacefully resolving differences.

According to commission members, the Jerusalem Link enabled Palestinian and Israeli women to maintain relations when all other contact between the two sides had broken down.

After his keynote address, Papandreou said that he supports, and has always supported, the participation of women's organisations in the Middle East peace process.

He said that it was a great honour for him to participate in the commission's founding meeting.

The Jerusalem Link is the coordinating body of two independent women's centers: Bat Shalom-The Jerusalem Women's Action Center, located in West Jerusalem, and Marcaz al-Quds la l-Nissah-The Jerusalem Center for Women, located in East Jerusalem.

In 1989, a meeting was convened in Brussels between prominent Israeli and Palestinian women peace activists. The meeting initiated an on-going dialogue that in 1994 resulted in the establishment of THE JERUSALEM LINK composed of two women's organizations-BAT SHALOM on the Israeli side, and the JERUSALEM CENTER FOR WOMEN on the Palestinian side. The two organizations share a set of political principles, which serve as the foundation for a cooperative model of co-existence between our respective peoples.

Each organization is autonomous and takes its own national constituency as its primary responsibility - but together they promote a joint vision of a just peace, democracy, human rights, and women's leadership. Mandated to advocate for peace and justice between Israel and Palestine, they believe a viable solution of the conflict between their two peoples must be based on recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state alongside the state of Israel, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states, and a final settlement of all relevant issues based on international law.

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