7-08-06,12:53pm

Havana, July 7 (ACN).- The US Pastors for Peace organization called the crossing of the US-Mexican border by the 17th humanitarian aid caravan to Cuba, organized by that religious group another unprecedented victory.

In a press release on Thursday, after the crossing, Pastors for Peace said the caravan was escorted by local police until it entered Mexican territory with 100 tons of humanitarian aid collected in 127 communities around the US and Canada for the people of Cuba.

'We understand that there were high level meetings involving US attorneys, Customs officials and local police to determine how they would handle the challenge from Pastors for Peace this year', said the press release and added that 'their refusal to meet our challenge is especially significant in light of last year's action, in which US Customs, under orders from the US Commerce Department, selectively inspected and confiscated items of humanitarian aid including computers destined for disabled Cuban children.'

Rev. Lucius Walker, executive director of the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organization, said, 'the US is calling for regime change in Cuba; but we are here today calling for regime change in the US. It's time that our government turned toward peace, toward reconciliation, toward respect for the sovereignty of Cuba and of all our neighbors. We are here today to show that it can be done.'

Pastors for Peace, founded by Rev. Lucius Walker, is a project of the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organization, a national ecumenical agency which has been working for social justice since 1967.