PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: jakeg@armeniandiocese.org
Website:
June 8, 2004
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CHURCH GROUP MEETS WITH U.N. CHIEF TO URGE SIGNIFICANT U.N. ROLE IN IRAQ
Church leaders who met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
on Monday, May 24, 2004, said they are convinced that international
involvement in Iraq is the only way to secure a lasting peace and
provide security. The group of 11 leaders from the National Council of
Churches (NCC) urged the United Nations to take that role.
The NCC delegation included Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and
ecumenical officer of the Eastern Diocese, who serves as secretary of
the NCC executive committee. The group met with the U.N. Secretary
General for 40 minutes, discussing how they could contribute to building
lasting peace in Iraq and other countries.
“The United Nations represents all the nations in the world, so the U.N.
should represent the international community,” Bishop Aykazian said.
“The U.N. can play an important role in the peaceful solution to every
problem in the world, including the problem in Nagorno-Karabagh. There
is no other power in the world that can solve the problem except the
U.N.”
The discussion at U.N. headquarters focused on the importance of
building a culture of tolerance, and to teach peace, dignity, and
respect for human rights. The delegation also shared their view that
weapons of mass destruction and terrorism concerns should not limit
efforts to combat other serious problems, such as poverty, disease, and
environmental degradation.
The church leaders pledged to provide educational resources about the
United Nations to their members and to talk with their own governments
about the importance of multilateral collaboration in Iraq.
“Secretary-General Annan was very much interested in the opinion of
religious leaders,” Bishop Aykazian said. “He thinks the churches
should play this role and even a more important role in world affairs.”
The NCC has 36 member churches, representing a reported 45 million
faithful. The delegation included religious leaders from the United
States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Though many of the delegation originally opposed the war to liberate
Iraq, Dr. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the NCC said that now “people
who were for the war and people who were against the war need to come
together to find an alternative way out of the current situation.”
— 6/8/04
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan meets with 11
leaders from the National Council of Churches (NCC) on Monday, May 24,
2004.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical
officer of the Eastern Diocese, joins a delegation welcomed to the
United Nations headquarters by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for a
discussion on the U.N. role in Iraq on Monday, May 24, 2004.
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