FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. PEACE COUNCIL’S PEACE AND FACT-FINDING DELEGATION RETURNS FROM SYRIA

New Haven, Connecticut, August 11, 2015

At the request of the U.S. Peace Council, a 7-member USPC delegation composed of representatives of a number of U.S. anti-war organizations, labor activists, lawyers, educators, and independent journalists, was approved by the Syrian Government to visit Syria for a 6-day fact-finding trip, which was completed on July 30, 2016.

The delegation met with a wide-ranging number of civil society organizations, non-violent opposition forces and parties, Muslim and Christian religious leaders, students, business leaders, victims of war and violence, members of the Syrian Bar Association, women’s rights activists, parliamentarians from different political parties, and high-level government officials. The delegation was also granted a nearly two-hour meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad.

The goal of the trip was to see first-hand the actual conditions on the ground in Syria; hear directly from the Syrian people about their situation and their views about the solution to the war and violence; meet with the representatives of the civil society and non-violent opposition groups and parties; and discuss with Syrian government officials the possible ways in which a speedy end to the war and destruction can be brought about.

The delegation was deeply impressed by the unity and determination of the Syrian people to defend their country and their sovereignty; their rejection of efforts to divide the population along sectarian lines; and their determined emphasis that what is going on in Syria is not a civil war but a foreign imposed invasion.

Summarizing the results of their week-long observation of the situation in Syria, Henry Lowendorf, member of the Executive Board of the U.S. Peace Council and co-leader of the delegation, said at the delegation’s United Nations press conference: “What we saw goes against everything we read in the United States.”

The U.S. Peace Council is planning to organize, in coordination with other peace and anti-war organizations, panel discussions and presentations around the United States by its delegation members and share their findings with everyone who is interested in peace and coexistence around the world.

A press statement by the delegation will follow shortly.

Issued by:

U.S. Peace Council

P.O. Box 3105

New Haven, CT 06515-0205

USA

Contact:

Alfred Marder, President

Phone: (203) 387-0370

Email: amistadmarder@gmail.com