* Minutes of the Meeting of the Writers for Peace Committee
Bled, Slovenia, 28th of March, 2007-03-28

At the meeting the following representatives of Pen organisations were present

Philippe Pujas (France)
Edvard Kovac (Slovenia)
Zeki Ergas (Suisse Romand)
Jean-Luc Favre (France)
Veno Taufer (Slovenia)
Jasna Skrinjar Taufer ()
Gisela Kraft (Germany)
Adalbert Podlech (Germany)
Kristin T. Schnider (Suisse German)
Frank Geary (PEN International)
Basim Mardan (Norway-Iraq)
Elisabeth Csicsery-Rónay (Writers in exile /USA)
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (International PEN)
Vecdi Sayar (Turkey)
Paul Scott (Scotland)
Sedat Yutdas (Kurdish PEN)
Teresa Salema (Portugal)
Marie Zoas Reynaud (Portugal)
Aleksander Tkachenko (Russia)
Kjell Olaf Jensen (Norway)
Ifigenija Simonovic (Slovenia)
Franca Tiberto / Suisse Italien and Reto Romanish Centre/

Agenda:
1. Report on the last meeting (Berlin, Germany, 22nd and 23rd of May, 2006)
2. Freedom of expression in Russia
3. Middle East
4. Information on the work of WfPC committees throughout the world
5. Other questions


1. Edvard Kovač greets the guests, passes on the apologies of the members who couldn't attend:
and appoints Kjell Olaf Jensen to chair the meeting. Joanne Leedom-Ackerman reports on the work of the International Board. Jane Spender left the association after 17 years of devoted work. Frank Geary is appointed as Director of International and Regional PEN programs and is to introduce new program, which consists of work on regional bases starting in Africa and in the Middle East. A way of dialog between PEN committees backed by the International Pen is going to be introduced. Meetings between neighbouring PEN associations will be arranged. Fundraising will be done on regional level, too.

2. Sasha Tkachenko (Russia) opens the question of a PEN letter to the Russian President regarding the killing of journalist ANNA Politkovskaya. PEN international has sent a letter of protest, but so far got no reply. Sasha Tkachenko suggests a letter not to be too polite and would in any case have no effect. He calls for stronger language; he says that the letter was naive, pathetic. He pointed out that two years ago PEN sent letters to Putin about two political prisoners – no reply, no effect, the journalists are still in prison. He points out that Putin did not respond appropriately to the killing of Anna Politkovskaya, he did not send condolences to the relatives. According to him people in Russia are bewildered; they have no official explanation who actually orchestrated the killing. Why do journalists get killed in Russia? There is no war there. He proposes the letter to be sent to the Minister of Justice and not to Putin, and a copy of it to the press as an open letter.
There were a few responses to Sasha Tkachenko's words.
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman speaks of a service to be held in London next October, marking the first anniversary of Anna's death. This event will get media attention which might reach Russia.
Kristin T. Schnider (Suisse German) speaks of her experience in Hong Kong... there more and more people are living in danger and they expect a courageous stand up, direct letters of protest from the West. PEN has to express its discontent in a strong voice. PEN hasn't got a diplomatic role, doesn't have to use diplomatic language.
Sasha Tkachenko points out that the letter has to be carefully worded. It should not sound as an accusation of the Russian people.
Veno Taufer (Slovenia) Politeness has to remain, but the strength of any letter lays in the presentation of clear facts. Anna Politkovskaya symbolizes a series of crimes against the freedom of speech in Russia. Putin represents a sort of government which is in favour of killing of all the journalists who don't comply. Taufer says he is in favour of a letter to be addressed to the Minister of Justice and sent to the press. This way at least the support of the Russian people could be achieved.
Sasha Tkachenko reports that in the last 10 years 200 journalists were killed, nobody knows why, by whom, what is coming next, who will be next?

3. Kjell Olaf Jensen says, that WfPC has worked on the Middle East problem for years. Finally there came in invitation to a conference in Jerusalem from the Palestinian PEN. He personally finds the attendance at this meeting dubious, as it would mean to support one side in a conflict; he would rather wait for another opportunity. There are other countries in question, such as Iraq and Iran, they are all connected. Would it not be better to organise the meeting in Istanbul, and on a larger scale?

Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Frank Geary report: since the war in Lebanon during the last summer International PEN has tried to work out what to do next and proposes to use literature as a mediator, as a bridge. International PEN suggests each of the three cebtrs – Lebanon, Palestine and Israel - to present their writers to each other. This way members would get to know each other via literature. PEN is not a peace maker, PEN can not replace UN. But nothing has come out of this idea yet. On the other hand PEN International will start working directly and individually with regional PEN centres in the Middle East learning about their centres and getting a chance to talk of their specific needs. This way a beginning of conversations between regional Pen centres might be achieved. Similar work is going to go on in Africa, too.

Gisela Kraft likes the idea and calls for the representatives from the Middle East who are present at the meeting, to speak about their countries.

Representative of Pen Turkey points out that taking sides with different nations in the Middle East would not be appropriate. PEN is not a political association.

A conference in Istanbul is going to take place on December the 8^th- 10th and it will be open to the WfPC members abd to all the regional PEN centresof the Middle East.

Philippe Pujas says, that PEN should focus on moral questions, it can't bring political solutions.

Zeki Ergas presents a program of a symposium on the Nobel prize winner Pamuk, who speaks of all the Turkish problems... this is how the problem of EAST-WEST could be talked about through literature.

Teresa Salema PEN (Portugal) responds to the chairman's point on the danger of attending the conference in Jerusalem. She says that representatives of PEN should be brave, should be ready to take risks and attend.

Basim Mardan points out, that 170 journalists have been killed in Iraq in the last three years. The question is what is stronger: the work of the killed journalists or the bullets by which they were killed. Words are stronger weapons. Governments should protect their writers. In Iraq nobody is in charge and there are 27 million people without government. There is nobody to blame for the killings. There is nobody there to send a letter of protest to. Besides the killings of the journalists we are witnessing the damage to the creativity of people. 80% of journalists lost their jobs. They mostly live in exile. 4 million of Iraqi people, mainly intellectuals, live in exile, mostly in Syria. There is much talk about Palestine and Israel having to start talking. Iraqi people have no one to talk to and to help them solve their problems.

Sedat Yutdas of the Kurdish PEN speaks of the fact that Kurdish language is prohibited in Iran. In Turkey it is a bit better, but there is no education in Kurdish, the language is banned from public use, forbidden even to be used in private correspondence. Only 40 minutes per day the language is allowed to be used on radio. There exists a "Taboo dictionary" – words that are not to be used. One of them is Kurdistan. One is NEWRUZ, a word for Kurdish New year.

A question about the meeting in Istanbul – how will some representatives from poor countries be able to come. The representative of the Turkish PEN says that means for them to come are provided for.

4.Work of the WfPC Committees:

Zeki Ergas reports on "Declaration de Laurca" and distributes written information on this program. The subject in question is an idea of Peace to be presented by the UN as a Human right for piece.

Report by Edvard Kovač ( PEN Slovenia): international conference in Trieste – Poetry and Peace. Many poetry readings took place in the last year.

5. No other questions

Conclusion:
1. the WfPC is to write another letter of protest against the killing of Ana Politkovskaya.
2. The WfPC will organize a Middle East conference in Istanbul on the 10.th of December in cooperation with Turkish PEN.