wfn.org | LWF Cautious About Britain's Position on Military Action against Iraq

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

Opposed to US Military Action on Iraq, LWF Cautious About Britain's
Position
Noko's Letter to Robin Cook Urges Democratic Transparency in Decision
Making

GENEVA, 2 September 2002 (LWI) - Concerned about the United States'
possible instigation of war against Iraq, the Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) has asked the British Government to consider the
country's public opinion and that of the international community in
making any decision on military intervention in Iraq.

In a letter to the Leader of the House of Commons, Hon. Robin Cook,
LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko says the significant
serious reservations and forthright rejection of such action, should
give the advocates of a military attack on Iraq cause to revise their
standpoint.

Noko says the proposed strike, would, instead of contributing to the
establishment of a just peace in the Middle East, "lead to the
proliferation of hatred, suspicion and the desire for revenge." He
says the justifications and possible consequences of such an attack
should be sufficiently debated in the countries whose armed forces
may be called upon for this task, as well as in the United Nations
Security Council which must authorize such action.

According to media reports, a British government official has said
military action against Iraq was not imminent but promised that
parliament would be recalled from its summer break to debate the
issue, in the event of a decision to launch a strike.

The full text of the letter follows: 

The Rt Hon. Robin Cook MP
Leader of the House of Commons
London

30 August 2002

Dear Minister,

Greetings from the Lutheran World Federation, a federation of 133
member churches in 73 countries around the world, representing over
61.7 million people.

When the Government and people of the United Kingdom took up the
challenge of establishing and keeping the peace in Sierra Leone,
during your tenure as Foreign Secretary, I recorded the LWF's strong
affirmation and appreciation of this role in a letter to Prime
Minister Blair. The actions taken by the United Kingdom at that time
continue to be life-supporting for the people of Sierra Leone.

Today I write to you on a matter of great and increasing concern to
the LWF - the possibility of external military intervention in Iraq.
Even as the talk and threat of war in some quarters become more
stridently belligerent, the narrowness of the international support
for such action becomes more evident.

The same nations that support or are understood to be likely to
support an attack upon Iraq to remove the current regime were once
strong supporters of that regime. While Saddam Hussein was using
chemical weapons against the people of Iran during the Iran-Iraq War,
the administrations of both President Reagan in the United States of
America and Prime Minister Thatcher continued to provide him with
their support. The possession and use of such weapons seems not
therefore to have been a decisive factor in the reassessment of the
Iraqi leadership as a pariah regime which should be removed by
military force.

It is necessary and correct for the international community to insist
on Iraq accepting weapons inspectors from the United Nations, in the
light of the brutal attacks that Saddam Hussein's government has
launched against its neighbors and even its own people. But it is
deeply disturbing that some of the same voices that insist upon
Iraq's compliance with UN Security Council demands dismiss the need
for any decision on the use of military force against Iraq to be
submitted to the authority of the UN Security Council. If the rule of
international law is to be respected by the nations of the world, it
must bind all equally - and no nation, no matter how powerful, should
be permitted by its allies and friends to abrogate that impartial
rule.

My request to you, in your capacity as the Leader of the House of
Commons and as a senior representative of Her Majesty's Government,
is that the political leadership of the United Kingdom avail itself
of the diversity of views being expressed within the British public
and amongst the international community in making any decision on
military intervention in Iraq. The grave reservations of many in the
international community about such action, and frank rejection of it
in some key quarters, should give those supporting a military attack
upon Iraq cause for revising their standpoint.

This proposed strike will not in any way contribute to the
establishment of a just peace in the Middle East. Rather, it will
lead to the proliferation of hatred, suspicion and the desire for
revenge. I hope that British political influence and military
capacity will be deployed not in the destabilization of the Middle
Eastern region and of the world, but in the pursuit of a sustainable
and just peace. The pursuit of blind retribution, political
expediency or economic interests must not be allowed to override the
undoubted commitment of the peoples of the United Kingdom and the
United States of America to the principles of peace and justice.

I believe that the justifications and likely consequences of the
proposed war are matters that should be fully debated in the proper
democratic forums in the countries whose armed forces may be called
upon for this task, as well as in the UN Security Council from which
legitimate authority for any military action must be obtained. In
your role as Leader of the House of Commons, I believe that you have
an important role in ensuring the democratic transparency of any
decision on these matters.

May you be strengthened and supported in the heavy leadership
responsibilities you carry.

Yours faithfully,

Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko
General Secretary

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 133
member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5 million of the
64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its
member churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical
relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights,
communication, and the various aspects of mission and development
work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of
its various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the
notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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