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PEC AWARDS

The firstPEC award cereinony at the Swiss Press Clgtb,

Mexican Ambassador to the UN in GenevaLuis Alfonso
Geneva, June 4th 2009 (pJiotos lceystone mtrezzini) de Alba,fust President of the Human Rights Council
The first ever awards for the 2009 by all sides. Geneva.
Protection of Joumalists were
handed to their recipients the The award was split with The event was sponsored by
Palestinian Center for Mexican Airibassador to the the Norwegian Foreign
Development and Media UN in Geneva LuisAlfonso de Minishy, Kuwaiti magazineAl
Freedoms (MADA) headquar- Alba, first President of the Yaqatha spearheaded by
tered in Ratnanah for its role in Huinan Riglits Coru'icil, for lffs Alunad Yusuf Behbehani, the
exposing media violations efforts to highlight the issue 011 Swiss ress Club and the PEC.
duig the Gaza war 27 the level of the HRC and the
December 2008 -18 January diplomatic comiminity in

THE PATH TO PEACE IN ISRAEL PALESTINE

It all started with a chance mee- tlus group n'iet bee tiines to meeting of Israeli and the world. Nothing perhaps
ting, about nine months ago. A elaborate a 'Concept Palestinian intellectuals who expresses better the pain and
meeting that had nothing to do Docrunent'. After I decided to would discuss consti'uctively the oritrage felt by neutral obs-
with this initiative. I met a travel to Israel-Palestine, in the issues involved in the buil- ervers as tlie sight of Ban ki

young Israeli woman writer at a October, I was able to meet ding of a better future in Israel- Moon, the U.N. Secretaiy
reading at the Off-the-shelf witli tlie Israeli and Palestinipn Palestine. General, wlio visited Gaza after
Bookstore. We both belong to ambassadors to the U.N. WIIO the war and made a declaration
the Geneva Wi'iters Group. I provided me with iinpoitant I did not know then, of course, in front of the cameras. That
saw her again at a meeting of contacts. that the Gaza war would break Asiaii man, wlio is usually very
the Huinan Rights Council at out on the 27th of December, much in control of his eino-
the U.N. where she introduced On December 4, 2008, I took only four days after my retum tions, looked haggard and tei'i-
me to a Palestinian diplomat. I an El Al plane and flew to Tel to Geneva. That war, which las- bly upset.
do not believe in chance mee- Aviv. ted twenty-two days, did not
tings. I tbiiik eveiy meeting has The pm'pose of my voyage was wiii many heaits and minds for However, be tliat as it may, we
a reason that we often do not to hy to organize, possibly Israel which chose to ii&ct must now look ahead, and not
know. We decided to forin a under tlie sponsorsip of P.E.N. death and desh'uction from a back, and tlie only question
group to see if we could come Intemational (wich is, foun- safe distance, as if Palestinian woith asking is: Has the bottom
up with some oi'iginal ideas ded in 1921, in the aftennath of lives were somehow less valua- been reaclied at last? I believe
about building the future in tlie rust world war, by writers ble than Israeli ones. Too many that it lias, and that the Gaza
Israel-Palestiiie. In the months hoi'rified by tbe cai'nage, the civilians were killed or badly war was the last war. The time
tbat followed three or four other only world-wide organization injured, especially women and lias come to build the peace, in
people joined ris. We later of writers; it has 145 centres iii children. Foreign reporters large pait, and perliaps even
named the group the Yaliad- more tlian 100 coru'iti'ies and were not allowed into Gaza. conclusively, because the winds
Ma'an (Together) Geneva represents more tlian 15,000 ButAl Jazeera was there and its of cliange are blowing across
Grorip. In tlie sruniner of 2008, wi'iters around the world), a iinages were beairied around tlie Atlantic Ocean.

3 2009 Drva 25

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