wfn.org | NCCCUSA Message on Iraq

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org (CAROL FOUKE)]

Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2252
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 
U.S.A.

NCC11/26/97     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NCC ASKS UNITED NATIONS, U.S. AND IRAQI GOVERNMENTS
TO EXERCISE "RESTRAINT" AND TO CONTINUE SEEKING 
PEACE

 NEW YORK, Nov. 26 ---- The President and 
General Secretary of the National Council of 
Churches today forwarded the following message to 
the heads of the NCC's 34 member communions 
(denominations).  

The letter calls on all involved parties to 
exercise restraint and seek peaceful resolution of 
the "recent deterioration in relations of the United 
Nations and of the government of the United States 
with the government of Iraq over the involvement of 
U.S. citizens in U.N. operations in Iraq."

In their cover letter to the message (which 
follows), United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, 
NCC President, and the Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell, 
General Secretary, express their thankfulness that 
"thus far, a military confrontation has been 
avoided.  No matter the cause of violence, its 
consequences are destruction and often the injury 
and death of innocent people who have no voice or 
influence upon the events that have determined their 
fate."

The message has been shared with President 
Clinton.  The cover letter to President Clinton 
follows the text of the message, below.

To the beloved member churches of the National 
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, Dear 
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On behalf of the General Assembly of the National 
Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, 
meeting in Washington, DC during November 12-14, 
1997, we greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, who reconciles and unites all who love Him 
into one fellowship in praise of God.

In this spirit of reconciliation and peace that we 
have received from Our Lord Jesus Christ, and after 
consultation with the General Assembly, we are 
writing to you now to share the following 
expressions of concern and admonition. 

We are gravely concerned for the recent 
deterioration in relations of the United Nations and 
of the government of the United States with the 
government of Iraq over the involvement of United 
States citizens in U. N. operations in Iraq.  As 
long-term supporters of the United Nations and of 
the principles of international law upon which it is 
founded, we affirm the principle that the 
citizenship of U. N. staff in U. N. operations is 
not a matter in which individual member states 
should interfere.  

We call upon the United Nations and the U.S. and 
Iraqi governments to exercise restraint and to 
continue diplomatic and other efforts to resolve 
this crisis peacefully.  We call upon U. N. member 
states to respect the principles enshrined in the 
United Nations Charter and to comply with all 
relevant U. N. Security Council resolutions, 
including resolutions respecting the development and 
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

We oppose the promotion of enemy images of Iraq in 
the U.S. media because they heighten tensions and 
foster hatred rather than create a climate for 
peaceful resolution. 
 
We call upon the  international  community to 
undertake greater measures to meet the deep needs of 
the people of Iraq resulting from the United 
Nations-imposed economic sanctions.  We remain 
committed to providing humanitarian assistance and 
advocating for U.S. policies that relieve suffering 
and promote justice and reconciliation.

We call upon the churches to continue in prayer for 
the suffering people of Iraq and for all the U.S. 
and other national leaders and U.N. officials who 
are confronting difficult decisions which affect 
peace in the Middle East.

We write to you about these matters from our love 
and concern for all   the people of Iraq and the 
Middle East.  Through our ecumenical fellowship with 
the Middle East Council of Churches, we have come to 
know them not as enemies but as friends and people 
of faith. 

May the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ 
grant the fulfillment of our prayers for peace and 
for the healing of all the wounds of war among the 
nations and within the hearts, minds and bodies of 
the peoples.  Yours in Christ Jesus, Bishop Melvin 
G. Talbert, President, and the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown 
Campbell, General Secretary, National Council of the 
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

President William J. Clinton
The White House
Washington, DC 20002

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to you in the spirit of unity and 
reconciliation that blessed the recent General 
Assembly of the National Council of the Churches of 
Christ in the USA, held in Washington, DC last week.

One of the concerns voiced in the General Assembly 
is the current diplomatic confrontation between the 
government of Iraq and the United Nations.  We are 
sharing with you a message that we have addressed to 
the member churches of the NCCCUSA about this 
situation.

The NCCCUSA has strongly endorsed the role of the 
United Nations for many years.  We have supported 
its efforts to resolve disputes by negotiation, not 
violence, by peaceful means, not war.   We believe 
that the United Nations is correct to uphold the 
principle that member states may not intervene in 
decisions regarding the citizenship of personnel 
involved in UN operations.

At the same time, we recognize that United States 
government policy toward the government of Iraq 
since the Gulf War has complicated relations with 
the United Nations.  Rather than adhering strictly 
to the multilateral consensus supporting enforcement 
of United Nations’ Security Council resolutions, the 
United States government has pursued its own 
adversarial policy against Iraq.  This policy has 
not achieved its publicly declared aim of changing 
the government in Iraq, nor has it benefited the 
United Nations in its implementation of resolutions 
pertaining to the Gulf crisis.

Since the beginning of the Gulf crisis in 1990, the 
NCCCUSA and its member churches have kept in 
remembrance the Christian and Muslim people of Iraq, 
who have little influence over the events affecting 
their lives, but who suffer their consequences 
greatly.  According to reputable studies, at least 
500,000 persons have died in Iraq as a result of the 
UN-impose economic sanctions, half of them children 
under five.  While acknowledging the accountability 
of the government of Iraq for the welfare of its 
people, the countries who impose this level of 
suffering also bear responsibility.  Whatever the 
diplomatic or political situation, more can and must 
be done to end this human catastrophe of immense 
proportions.

Through our ecumenical fellowship with the Middle 
East Council of Churches and the churches of the 
Middle East, we are well aware of the inter-
connections that exist in the region.  Tensions with 
Iraq are not unrelated to the larger Middle East 
peace process.  With our concern for peace, we urge 
the United States to encourage the State of Israel 
to take steps that can restore the confidence of the 
Arab states in a shared pursuit of peace.

We pray that you and other leaders of government and 
the United Nations will find will resolve this 
situation in a way that respects international law 
and justice without the use of force.  May God guide 
you and guard you in your difficult task.  Yours 
sincerely, Bishop Melvin G. Talbert, President, and 
the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell, General Secretary, 
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 
U.S.A.

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