Breaking News from America's Progressive Community...

Latest Releases
October

archives/1998
September
August
July
June

Making news?
E-mail us!
editor@newscenter.org

NewsCenter is a news service - providing breaking news and opinion for progressive-thinking Americans.

The press releases posted here have been provided to NewsCenter by the one of the many progressive organizations we have selected to participate . If you would like more information about this press release, you should contact the organization directly.

News Advisory:

Date: Friday, Oct. 23
Time: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Place: Lafayette Park, across from the White House

Details: In Lafayette Park this Friday, Oct. 23, film star Michael Douglas will join a distinguished cast of speakers urging full and unconditional payment of U.S. financial obligations to the United Nations at the 3rd Candlelight Vigil for the United Nations.

Hundreds are expected to gather to see and hear Douglas in perhaps his most challenging role, as a U.N. Messenger of Peace.

In July, when named messenger of peace by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Douglas told reporters that he hoped "to use the entertainment communications ability we have around the world to talk a little less about movies and hopefully a lot more about some of the issues pertaining to the United Nations."

Congress has tied Washington's $1.5 billion debt to the U.N.to an anti-abortion rider which the administration has vowed to veto. In response to the U.S. failure to meet its treaty obligations, Douglas says, "It is a political issue and as a member of the wealthiest country in the history of civilization,I think most Americans are deeply embarrassed and humiliated that this debt is tied up in a controversy that should not exist."(Reuters, Leopold - July 30, 1998)

Other speakers include

• Tim Wirth, former senator from Colorado and undersecretary of state for global affairs, now president of the United Nations Foundation founded in 1998 by Ted Turner through a major financial commitment to support U.N. causes;
• Jim Moody, former representative from Wisconsin, now president of InterAction, a coalition of 160 humanitarian NGOs (non-governmental organizations);
• Alvin Adams, president and CEO of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA), the largest grassroots foreign policy organization in the U.S. with overall membership totaling the tens of millions.

The vigil, held on the eve of U.N. Day, will convey a strong message to Congress and the administration that Americans do care about the United Nations and want our elected officials to fulfill our treaty obligations and pay our past, present and future dues to the U.N. in full and without conditions. Similar vigils will take place in dozens of cities across the country, kicking off celebrations of U.N. Day on Oct. 24 (see www.globalpolicy.org/vigil).

-0-