By Ed Hale

Part I of III

As United States 2008 presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama bickered over how they would “handle the Iran threat” in their first debate on Friday night, citing erroneous facts and competing with one another on who would hold out the longest from engaging in diplomatic talks with Iran, a small group of one-hundred and fifty American citizens representing fifty of the country’s most prominent peace and human rights groups were busy talking to the world’s media about the two-hour private meeting they held with the Iranian President two days prior.

The meeting – which was not revealed to the media until the next day to assure the safety and security for those in attendance – took place on Wednesday September 24 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City during the 63rd annual United Nations General Assembly Meeting. The goal of the meeting was “to introduce President Ahmadinejad to the peace community in the United States and to illustrate how this sector of civil society works to oppose war and the use of violence to resolve differences,” said the meeting’s facilitator, Mark Johnson, Executive Director of the global Fellowship of Reconciliation, the world’s oldest peace organization.

In an exhilarating live experiment in civilian diplomacy in action, the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel was transformed into a veritable who’s who of some of the most outspoken and prominent members of America’s peace, anti-war, and human rights organizations, including Medea Benjamin of A Global Exchange, Jodie Evans of Code Pink and Women for Peace, Brian Becker of the ANSWER Coalition, yours truly representing PeaceWithIran.com, and Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice. There were also representatives from Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Mennonites, the Lutheran Peace Fellowship, American Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, among many others. American citizens flew in from almost all fifty states to hold the private meeting with President Ahmadinejad in an effort to begin the process of what many consider long overdue open dialogues with Iran regarding how our two nations can work peaceably together to secure more peaceful relations with one another.

The issues raised during the two-hour plus talk, many considered vital for the future security of both the United States and Iranian citizenry, revolved around how the countries can begin putting aside their mutual distrust of one another in order to move forward in peaceful negotiations; both the US and the Iranian government’s recent crackdown on human rights, freedom of assembly, and dissidents; the current US occupation of Iraq; Iran’s controversially viewed policy toward Israel; their treatment of women and other minorities; the difficulty on both sides of obtaining visas to visit either country. Of course the big issue of the moment, will Iran accept a compromise on its nuclear fuel enrichment program, was also addressed.

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Dear Campaigner for Peace with Iran,

The Tehran Peace Museum and the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support
(SCWVS) are planning a candlelight vigil at 19:00 local time (10:30 EST) on September 21
to commemorate the UN-designated International Day of Peace. The organized event is a
historic first in Iran, where tensions with the United States are causing serious anxiety.
Please see the forwarded attachments for event details.
On behalf of the Tehran Peace Museum and the Society for Chemical Weapons Victims
Support (SCWVS), the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran
(CASMII), Fellowship Of Reconciliation (FOR), Payvand and Iranians For Peace (IFP) invite
your antiwar group to act on September 21 in solidarity with the nascent Iranian peace
movement. The Museum was established a year ago, inspired by a Dayton Peace Museum
director whose trip to Iran was arranged by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Earlier this
year, CASMII-US and Physicians for Social Responsibility organized a U.S. speaking tour for
representatives of SCWVS. We hope peace and justice groups like yours will help build on
these and similar successes.

We ask that people of conscience in your circle respond to active outreach among Iranians
and connect with the September 21 event there. Although this is late notice, we hope you
can arrange a candlelight vigil with a few or a few dozen others in your community that
evening.

Even a smaller gesture from Americans, such as announcing news of the Tehran ceremony
in your next newsletter or at your weekly local peace vigil, will uplift our Iranian partners
in peace. They tell us so. Please check the attachments for event details and consider
sending a message of support now to the lead international organizer in Tehran, Dr.
Shahriar Khateri, at khateri@scwvs.org . Thank you very much.

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