Brasília, 9/9/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Protest songs in favor of world peace, "Imagine" (John Lennon), "Let It Be" (Lennon and McCartney), "No Woman, No Cry" (Bob Marley) and "Peace" (A Paz) (Gil and João Donato), will be sung by Brazil's minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, on September 19, at a ceremony in memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello and all those who died in the terrorist attack on the UN building in Baghdad. Gil was invited by secretary general, Kofi Annan.

The ceremony will be dedicated to International Peace Day on September 21. The United Nations has invited all nations and peoples to halt hostilities on that date. It occurs on the eve of the opening of the General Assembly, which takes place on September 23. It is estimated that the memorial ceremony will be attended by some 9,000 people in the UN gardens. (AB)