Joins

Published by The National Herald, January 21, 2005

Bishop Demetrios Joins Interfaith Coalition in Appeal to President Bush

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – Bishop Demetrios of Xanthos, Ecumenical Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, was among leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups urging President Bush last Thursday, January 13, to discuss a renewed role by the United States in Mid-East peace initiatives.

With a newly elected Palestinian leadership and Israel's plans to withdraw from Gaza, the United States should take a higher-profile role, religious leaders said in their public appeal to the President.

"This is an unprecedented initiative that brings a powerful moral voice to a pivotal issue at a pivotal time," Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore said of the interfaith coalition pressing the President to make peace in the Middle East a top priority.

Coordinating with 35 national religious leaders are leaders in more than a dozen cities including Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Hartford and New Haven, Baltimore, Charlotte and Durham, and Washington, D.C.

1. Appoint a special presidential envoy with a full-time commitment to the Mid-East. The envoy would coordinate with the European Union, Russian Federation and the United Nations Secretary-General to press for the plan signed by Israel and the Palestinians in June 2003. It has stalled, with each side blaming the other for violations of its provisions.

2. Negotiate a timetable for specific steps to be taken by the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government.

3. Take the lead to mobilize increased international economic aid to build up the Palestinian Authority's ability to provide security, deliver humanitarian aid and ensure services to the Palestinian people.

With last Sunday's election of Mahmoud Abbas as president of the Palestinian Authority (succeeding the late Yasser Arafat), Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said the time was right for restarting Mid-East peace negotiations. "If we do not grasp it now, it may not come again," he said.

Other religious leaders making the appeal to Bush included Rabbi Amy Small, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of Presbyterian Church (USA); Rabbi Alvin Sugarman, vice president of a Different Future; and Mohammed Elsanousi, director of communications for the Islamic Society of North America.

The above was published by the Deseret Morning News on January 15. The original headline is, "Bush Urged to Lead in Mid-East Process."



Volume 7 Number 4 - Tuesday, January 25th, 2005	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY