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Kirkpatrick Letter Urges Clinton to Act in Defense of Civilians


From PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>
Date 16 Dec 1999 20:04:00

Imperiled in Grozny 
16-December-1999 
99426 
 
    Kirkpatrick Letter Urges Clinton to Act 
    in Defense of Civilians Imperiled in Grozny 
 
    by the Presbyterian News Service 
 
LOUISVILLE - The Rev. Cliff Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the General 
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), sent a letter to President 
Bill Clinton on Friday (Dec. 10), asking him to urge Russian President 
Boris Yeltsin to lift his government's ultimatum against the inhabitants of 
Grozny, Chechnya. 
 
    The text of the letter, copies of which were sent to Yeltsin, United 
Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and the presidents of the European 
Commission and the European Parliament: 
 
    "Dear Mr. President, 
 
    "Presbyterians, like millions of other citizens of our country, have 
watched recent events in Chechnya with increasing dismay. 
 
    "The Russian ultimatum against the inhabitants of Grozny appears to 
threaten the indiscriminate destruction of Grozny and those who remain in 
that city after the expiration of the ultimatum on Saturday (Dec. 11). Such 
an attack, if carried out, would directly and intentionally target innocent 
civilians in the effort to deal with the action of a group of rebels also 
located in the city. Such an annihilation of an entire community rather 
than an attack on those whose actions the Russian government wishes to 
resist is morally untenable. All serious religious thinking about justice 
in the use of military force condemns the intentional destruction of 
innocent civilian life in the conduct of war. 
 
    "There is no ethical justification for the Russian government to attack 
an innocent civilian population nor is there any moral argument that can 
excuse the indiscriminate attacks that have been perpetrated on Russian 
civilians by advocates of Chechen independence. Presbyterians recognize, of 
course, that the Russian ultimatum against Grozny is only the latest link 
in a tragic chain of political and military violence for which both the 
Russian government and all the various Chechen parties bear responsibility. 
 
    "We ask, Mr. President, that you would again urge President Yeltsin to 
lift his government's ultimatum against Grozny. If the Russian government 
follows through on its threat to destroy the inhabitants of Grozny, we urge 
you to consult with the United Nations as well as with the member states of 
the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe to consider appropriate ways the international community might 
respond to this crisis. 
 
    "Further we ask you, Mr. President, to renew your efforts to assure the 
Russian government of the good intentions of the United States as well as 
to assure them of our willingness to join in international efforts to 
contribute to relief in the Northern Caucasus once relief workers can 
safely enter that region. 
 
    "Finally, Mr. President, we assure you of our prayers for you and 
President Yeltsin and the people of Chechnya as well as the people of 
Russia at this difficult moment. 
 
    "Yours sincerely, 
 
    Cliff Kirkpatrick 
    Stated Clerk of the General Assembly"  

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