Mairead Maguire and Ann Paterson attend RAUS International Conference In Bonn -Decemeber 2011.
In December Mairead and I attended the RAUS international conference in Bonn for a self -determined Afghanistan. The conference brought together some amazing people who got together and looked at how best to support the people of Afghanistan.
Mairead opened the conference with a speech that called for a world without war, she said the people of Afghanistan had suffered enough and they had a right to self determation, Mairead also called that NATO should be disbanded.
We were priviliged to listen to a young women from Afghanistan,Malali Joya she is the youngest member of parliament, and to hear about the work she is doing trying to get the voices of women heard,this was inspring as we all know the danger that speaking out can put her in.
We also heard from a Turkish journalist Mustafa Yalciner who was able to give first hand information on the Arab Spring. We attented workshops on the situation of Afghan refugees, and it was very good to hear from so many young people on their personal situations. At the end of the conference their was a call to disband NATO
Ann Patterson