December 10, 2009
Today is Human Rights Day. Today also marks the release of an unprecedented brief on Canada’s Role in Afghanistan from The Canadian Council of Churches. In the year leading up to the military pullout from conflict-ridden Afghanistan, twenty-two of Canada’s Christian churches are calling for diplomatic efforts to end the war and support for Afghans in building up reconciliation programs at district and local levels.
The Churches are calling on Prime Minister Harper, the Federal Government, and all parliamentarians to facilitate Afghan-led solutions to conflict over natural resources, tribal grievances, presence of the Taliban, organized crime and corruption. This brief reiterates that the war will not end with a military victory. The end of the Canadian military mission in 2011 must mark a new era of diplomacy in Afghanistan; one the Churches see as marked by peace building involving a stable Government of Afghanistan and its international partners. We call for a Canadian diplomatic surge characterized by energetic encouragement of meaningful peace negotiations.
For more information or an interview, please contact:
Mike Hogeterp
905-870-0574
The Rev. Bruce Adema
905-336-2920
The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton
416-972-9494 ext. 22