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The U.S. Conference of Mayors to Address the World Conference of Mayors for Peace at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

2009-08-06 07:03 475

HIROSHIMA, Japan, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Past President of The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) Akron Mayor Donald Plusquellic and U.S. Conference of Mayors CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran traveled to Japan for the Annual Peace Memorial Day Ceremony in Hiroshima on Thursday, August 6, and the General Conference of Mayors for Peace in Nagasaki from Friday, August 7 to Monday, August 10.

Each year on Peace Memorial Day (August 6), the City of Hiroshima holds a Peace Memorial Ceremony to recognize the lives lost in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as to pray for the realization of everlasting world peace. Mayor Plusquellic and Executive Director Tom Cochran joined Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba in the ceremony by placing a wreath from The U.S. Conference of Mayors at a USCM park bench, dedicated in 2005, at Peace Memorial Park.

Mayor Plusquellic and Tom Cochran will also address the Mayors for Peace Conference on Saturday, August 8 and Monday, August 10 respectively, and place a wreath at the Peace Center in Nagasaki. Approximately 2,870 cities in 134 countries and regions around the world are members of Mayors for Peace organization.

"The United States Conference of Mayors will continue to work with Mayors for Peace to ever strengthen our vision, ideals, and our commitment to a nuclear-free world," said Mayor Don Plusquellic.

For decades, the USCM has strongly advocated a decrease in, and elimination of, the threat of nuclear weapons. In 2004, the mayors of the United States passed a resolution that declared, "Weapons of mass destruction have no place in a civilized world," and called for the commencement of negotiations on the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. This past June, the USCM unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon the International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament to adopt 2020 as the target date for achieving a nuclear-free world.

"The U.S. Conference of Mayors will remain engaged in this matter until cities are no longer under the threat of nuclear devastation," said Conference Executive Director Cochran.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,100 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor.

Source: U.S. Conference of Mayors
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