See Also: France's Conference of Bishops' Jan. 27, 2003, Statement Against Going to War with Iraq (In French)

WHAT/WHY: February 10-11, 2003, in Paris, a delegation from the National Council of Churches (U.S.A.) will be hosted by the French Protestant Federation for the second of a series of five urgent meetings with religious and government leaders to consider a cooperative response to avert military action against Iraq.

Their schedule includes a 3:30 p.m. meeting on February 11 with France’s foreign minister, with a news conference to follow (on site at the Quai d'Orsay).

The NCC is organizing the visits to five European capitals as part of the U.S. ecumenical body’s search for peaceful solutions to the Iraq crisis. Upcoming visits include London (Feb. 17-19), Rome (Feb. 25-28) and Moscow or Madrid (TBA).

On February 5, an NCC delegation met in Berlin with counterparts from across Europe and with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.  U.S. church leaders also are seeking a meeting with President Bush.

· The Rev. Daniel E. Weiss, Marco Island, Fla.; Immediate Past General Secretary, American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.

· Rev. Michael Livingston, Trenton, N.J.; Executive Director, International Council of Community Churches.

· Thomas H. Jeavons, Wallingford, Pa.; General Secretary, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends (Quaker).

· Father Stanley DeBoe, Silver Spring, Md.; Trinitarian Fathers and Co-Chair, Churches for Middle East Peace, who is Justice and Peace Director for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM).  Father DeBoe will represent Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement on the delegation.

· Mr. John Briscoe, New York, N.Y.; Associate General Secretary, National Council of Churches (U.S.A.).

The group will be joined in Paris by Rudiger Noll, Associate General Secretary of the Conference of European Churches. Mr. Noll is based in Brussels.

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