Julio Maria Sanguinetti Coirolo (78), former President of Uruguay, attended the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) International Leadership Conference (ILC) headed by the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

The ILC, held at the Victoria Plaza Hotel in Montevideo, Uruguay, was attended by about 300 people, including Coirolo, former President of Uruguay Luis Albert Lacalle (73), Catholic priests and Protestant pastors. Coirolo is one of Uruguay’s top leaders, having served two terms in office from 1985 to 1990, and again from 1995 to 2000.

-What is your relationship with Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon?

“I first met them in the presidential office in Uruguay. We had a very meaningful conversation. Many religious leaders think that Uruguay is opposed to religion. Yet, this is a prejudiced view, and it is not true. We hold a neutral stance even within religion. Uruguay is traditionally Catholic. However, we treat all religions equally. Rev. Moon was surprised when he saw that I did not conform to one specific religion. Rev. Moon and I were able to understand and share each other’s values. After that, we formed many bonds with each other over a long period of time. Rev. Moon and I share the same basic value system and relate to each other through that. Those values are that of protecting the family, harmonizing with different religions and protecting peace.”

-What do you think about Rev. Moon and Dr. Han’s peace movements in the Middle East, Unification Movements between North and South Korea, as well as between North and South America?

“We are living in a global world. All of the information in the world can be accessed in mere seconds. Relationships between nations are different from before. We are now connected to each other via the Internet. Yet, we are still surrounded by conflict and strife. The reasons for going to war have changed from the past. The Cold War was the period between 1945 and 1989, between America, the victor of World War II, and the Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall came down, we all thought that we would be entering into an era of eternal peace. But that did not come true. I want to first discuss the ideological war, which has emerged in the world from the wreckage of the Cold War. This relates to Korea’s current situation. Are you not of the same race? I believe that there is a very important meaning to the movement for peace in the Korean Peninsula that Rev. Moon led. The second point I would like to discuss is that of the discord between religions. This can be seen in the Middle East. Unlike Korea, whose internal conflicts deal with ideological differences, the fighting in the Middle East arose from religious differences. The third point is that of the conflict between nations, such as that between the former Soviet Union, Russia and Ukraine. This is a conflict that has arisen due to differences in nationality. The final point is that of conflicts and wars arising due to trafficking. In Latin America, this has mainly been occurring in Mexico and Colombia. There are four different types of conflicts in the world. These are the wreckage of the Cold War, the conflicts over religions, nations and trafficking. There is a deep introspection within Rev. Moon’s peace movements that involve all of these kinds of conflicts. This is why I believe in the significance of the Unification Church and the succession of Rev. Moon’s peace movements…”

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