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eal or even non-real issues but very emotional issues and that it's not easy to stop
wars. But we do believe that the idea of reviving the Truce can provide a new and
promising instrument for peace, an instrument in the hands of the United Nations
and others that work for peace. The Olympic Truce can open a window of
opportunity for at least 16 days that is during the Olympic Games; it can break the
cycle of violence in areas around the world. So we are thinking of combining
the Olympic movement with the Peace movement, all those who work for peace,
to create a new window of opportunity, discussion, diplomacy, understanding,
which in many areas of the world do not exist.
As I said, Truce is no utopia. But it can mean, first of all, breaking the cycle
of violence and give valuable time for constructing bridges of communication
between different, conflicting groups. It can also help in providing humanitarian
aid and support to children and adults in conflicting regions during that period.
It can help to protect damage to natural environment when giving a respite, a
breathing space for stopping wars and destruction. But it also can allow the youth
of the world to participate peacefully in the Olympic Games.
People would say this is a very romantic idea, maybe too romantic and it
cannot be applied. Well, in fact, I will give you some very specific events how
it has already become a very important idea.
At this point I think we should praise President Samaranch of the International
Olympic Committee for all his work, in making this idea alive again, because only
last year and after the work of at least eight years by Juan Antonio Samaranch
since 1992, we had a United Nations Millennium Declaration of over 180 leaders
from around the world. And in this Millennium Declaration one of the calls for
peace is for all to take the Olympic Truce seriously around the world.
We discussed this with Koffi Annan, the UN Secretary General, only two
months ago, in May, about how we will help by working with the UN and he very
much supported this effort.
But we also have very specific examples in Lillehammer in the Games of 1994.
The IOC called an Olympic Truce. And the IOC was able to get a Truce for one
day in Bosnia. There was a war then in Bosnia. And during that one day UNICEF
came and inoculated children from all sides, gave them vaccines, therefore saving
the lives of many children that would otherwise have died because they could not
have medical help. And this was done in Cupertino with the IOC delegation,
headed by Mr Samaranch.
In 1998 in the Nagano Games there was an international appeal by Juan
Antonio Samaranch again, also by the Japanese and the Greek governments and
the Australian government, which was to host the Australian Games in Sydney,
that there would be no bombing of Iraq. If you may remember there was then
much discussion about bombing Iraq by the United States. Well, we would not say
that the United States were afraid of this Truce, but they respected it, and they told
us so. The publicity, the calls from around the world, the journalists saying that this
is an ancient tradition and we must respect it, gave time for Koffi Annan to go to
Iraq and to negotiate a settlement; therefore it was not necessary to bomb Iraq at
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