Guatemala, finally met the peace advocate!

      Do you remember from the last posting about the Mayans? I found an interesting fact from my friend from Guatemala that more than half of Guatemalans are the descendants of the Mayans! Some of them preserve the life style of Maya-wear traditional dress and speak indigenous language. The rest of the Guatemalans are Ladinos, mixed Maya-Spanish ancestry).

     Guatemala, the meaning of its name is the “land of tree.” It is where the most populous nation in Central America. Like the meaning of its name, it is heavily fostered and mountainous country. 

     Guatemala has been dreaming about peace in the world for a long time. In the presidential palace, there is a statue called “Palm of Peace.” It is the world’s famous statue which the presidents, politicians, and celebrities from around the world visit and lay the flower in the statue. In 2011, the UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon was the first Korean citizen to lay the flower in the statue. But this time, the world peace activist Man-Hee Lee visited Guatemala and was invited to the Presidential Palace and laid the flower. It is surprising that a mere private volunteer organization could do all the peace activities for the universe! If I was a president, I would give him all the best awards and honor him as the state guest. Chairman Lee is the one who has done things that presidents or politicians couldn’t do. I hope his work continues until the world peace comes true. 

Reference:http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/guatemala-facts/

Photo source:http://guatemala-thebook.com/

UN Chief Ban: South Sudan Rival leaders to attend Peace Talks

UN Chief Ban: South Sudan Rival leaders to attend Peace Talks

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said that South Sudan’s rebel chief has agreed to direct peace talks, hours after the UN leader arrived in South Sudan to demand an end to a brutal civil war.

Rebels and government have forced battle for control of a key oil town in the nearly five-month-old conflict.

Rebel leader Riek Macher responded positively that he will be in Addis Ababa for the meeting in time, but he said he will try best because he is now in very remote area.

Ban said he expects Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to facilitate a dialogue between Macher and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.

President Kiir has expressed his willingness to meet with Macher in Addis.

Thousands of people have been killed since mid-December in violence stemming from a power dispute between the two leaders.

“The country’s leaders must close the wounds they have opened. They must support justice and accountability for crimes committed,” Ban said.

Reference: http://www.voanews.com/content/un-chief-in-south-sudan-for-talks-with-kiir-civilians/1908431.html

How important is the role of arbitrator in here? Chief Ban knows well about the aftermath and the horror of the war from his country. So he might want to prevent unnecessary bloodshed by pulling off conversation.

  

Man Hee Lee, peace advocate also has been acting as mediator in the international community. Recently, he contributed to make peace agreement between religious leaders of two different religions: Catholic and Islam.

Man Hee Lee is asking international community for agreement signing the end of the war in their laws. I'm expecting all over the world sign to their law 'the end of the war'.