diplomacy

November 26, 2008

In the wake of today’s news from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that she will not pursue the creation of a U.S. “interests section” in Tehran – which would have created a permanent U.S. diplomatic presence in Iran for the first time in three decades – a 14-member interfaith peace delegation to Iran will depart New York tonight, November 26th. The ten-day delegation is organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), the oldest and largest interfaith peace organization in the United States, and is FOR’s eighth fact-finding and friendship delegation to Iran.

There are more than one million people of Iranian descent living in the United States. Approximately one-half of that large diasporic community live in southern California, but the population is spread across the country. Three organizations that represent efforts by Iranian-Americans to prevent war between the U.S. and Iran participated in the September 24th meeting that the Fellowship of Reconciliation hosted between President Ahmadinejad and members of the U.S. peace and anti-war community: the American Iranian Friendship Council (based in Portland, OR); the American Iranian Council (based in Princeton, NJ); and the American-Iranian Friendship Committee (based in Armonk, NY). Other Iranian-Americans were in attendance, and other such organizations had been invited but did not attend (including the National Iranian American Council and the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran).

The Fellowship of Reconciliation has just finished preparing the transcription of the English translation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks to the U.S. peace and anti-war community, delivered at the meeting hosted by FOR on September 24, 2008 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. That transcription follows. We thank everyone for their patience.

Last week, the Boston Globe printed an opinion piece by Jeff Jacoby, "A US welcome mat for Ahmadinejad," which condemned the September 24-25 meetings held between the Iranian President and members of the U.S. peace and religious communities. Joseph Gerson, a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the director of programs at the Boston-based New England office of the American Friends Service Committee, wrote the following response. The Globe would not agree to print Gerson's Letter to the Editor due to its length, and also decided to not print a vastly-cut 400-word version submitted by Gerson, also due to it exceeding its word limit. We offer the original version here:

An excellent article appears in the current issue of The Jewish Week, focused on Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb's presentation at the interfaith "iftar" dinner with Iranian President Ahmadinejad last Thursday, September 25th. Titled "Speaking Up to Iran Leader -- Gingerly," the article describes the courageous speech by Gottlieb at the event, as the only Jewish leader speaking that evening. Rabbi Lynn is a long-time leader in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, having worked at FOR many years ago with the Jewish Peace Fellowship and having led some two dozen interfaith peace-building delegations to Israel & Palestine over the past quarter-century. In April-May 2008, Rabbi Lynn co-led a civilian diplomacy and peace-building delegation sent by FOR to Iran.

In preparing for the conversation between political leadership from the Islamic Republic of Iran and representatives of the U.S. peace movement, the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) invited over 300 individuals and groups to attend and asked each to submit, first, a description of the work done by their group and successes in using active nonviolent means to effect social change, and second, to raise a concern or ask a question about relationship between the United States and Iran.

Reflections and feedback have been coming in to FOR from across the U.S. peace community about this past Wednesday’s afternoon meeting we hosted with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as our Thursday morning follow-up strategy session on preventing war with Iran. Here are a few of the comments we’ve received thus far:

Doris Abdullah, U.N. representative, On Earth Peace agency:

Thank you for a brilliant evening of dialogue with President Ahmadinejad and members of the United States Peace community. As a member of that Peace family, I found the evening both informative and helpful for future conversations and interchanges between ourselves and Iran. I was especially moved by the opening framework expressions of the "opportunity to love or welcome the stranger, capacity to trust one another and practice in hospitality."

The motivation for the Fellowship of Reconciliation to facilitate a conversation between the political leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and representatives of the peace movement in the United States grew out of our long history with the practice of civilian diplomacy and our recent experience leading delegations of citizens to Iran.

Our work fits snuggly into the current political debate of the relative merits of dialogue and nonviolence versus belligerent rhetoric and warfare as methods of resolving differences between peoples. We, by principle and history, captured in our name, come down firmly on the side of reconciliation of differences through active nonviolence.

Over the past 48 hours, I’ve had the opportunity to attend three powerful meetings that have sought to prevent war between the U.S. and Iran and to encourage dialogue and engagement between our two governments and their citizens.

Late afternoon this Wednesday, September 24th, 150 members of the U.S. peace, justice, and anti-war community held a historic first meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The private gathering in New York City was facilitated and hosted by the Fellowship of Reconciliation – an organization for whom I am incredibly proud to work. It is amazing that a small number of people were able to put together such a major gathering in less than a month.