Jude Law Calls For Afghani Militants To Recognize Peace Day 9/1/08

Actor Jude Law is calling for a ceasefire in war-torn Afghanistan - and wants the feuding parties to acknowledge a day of peace later this month (Sep08). The Alfie star, an ambassador for British filmmaker Jeremy Gilley's Peace One Day project, is in the Middle Eastern country to promote the United Nations' global Peace Day on 21 September (08).

The non-violent 24-hour event was established in 2001 after lobbying from Peace One Day campaigners proved successful. Afghanistan observed the 2007 Peace Day, and the break in fighting allowed health workers to enter the Taliban-influenced regions of the country and vaccinate 1.4 million children against polio in areas previously ruled off-limits.

Speaking at a press conference in Kabul on Monday (01Sep08), Law said: "What we hope to do... is to remind all parties that it is happening and see then what happens through negotiations." The British actor went on to describe the world as being in a "disastrous state", and wanted to use the Peace One Day project to urge all sides, "whether they are fighting for change (or) killing for change", to "pause".

He added: "And if that pause is simply to allow, as we did in last year's call for action here, vaccinating children or bringing in food... then let's use that." Law joined Gilley in Afghanistan last year (07), when they made a documentary about the brief ceasefire, titled The Day After Peace.

Gilley told the press: "We are appalled at the situation in Afghanistan and beyond. Nobody wants people to suffer in the way that they are. That is precisely why we came back." Afghanistan has been rocked by gunfight and bombings by militant fighters since the Taliban was removed from power with the help of the U.S. and U.K. armed forces in 2001, in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.