UPF Urged to Assist the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Universal Peace Federation (UPF), a peace building organization in the country, has been urged to assist the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in order to carry out its mandates to find root causes of the past war in the country.

Calling on the UPF last Friday at the Capitol Building in Monrovia, the Chairman of House Standing Committee on Peace and National Reconciliation, Mr. Wesseh Blamo, praised the UPF for having conducted a highly successful reconciliation conference from February 9 – 11, 2006 in which about 300 delegates from counties of Liberia and countries of the Mano River Union participated.

According to the lawmaker, the model of peace building used by the UPF would assist the TRC in carrying out its mandate, hence the need to assist in enhancing the national endeavor.

Mr. Blamo made the call during the House Sub-Committee’s first acquaintance and consultative meeting with Commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee in which the Universal Peace Federation was invited as a special guest.

Mr. Blamo said that it is the duty of the 15-member committee representing all counties of Liberia at the House of Representatives to appeal for assistance to enable the Truth and Reconciliation Committee succeed in its mandate within the specified time frame.

He assured the TRC of his committee’s unflinching support to the commission. Responding to the call of the lawmaker, Rev. Augustine Arkoi, Secretary General and International Representative of the UPF commended the House Subcommittee for the invitation and reassured the committee of UPF’s commitment to complementing programs and activities of the TRC at all times.

Rev. Arkoi further intimated that the attainment of genuine peace in Liberia is entirely predicated upon the successful implementation of the TRC agenda, and called on all Liberians to rally their support

Rev. Arkoi said that as the TRC timeframe of two years will help dig up and document issues of the past with some of the perpetrators making apologies to their victims, the healing and reconciliation of such ugly past would take a considerable period of time.

He reminded the lawmakers and the TRC members that the peace conference hosted last February amongst other recommendations require the setting up of Peace Councils at the national, county and district as well as institutional levels to impact peace building in Liberia.

He said the UPF, through the National Peace Council, would initiate programs of holistic reconciliation that goes beyond victims and perpetrators to include their relatives and families, so that comprehensive understanding of the conflict would be used as a basis to achieve genuine peace and reconciliation.

He said that with such structure in place, the people themselves would work to stamp out conflicts by quickly resolving them before they flare into bigger ones.