wfn.org | [WCC NEWS] Annan-Kobia: Iraq, Israel/Palestine, UN Day of Peace

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches 7 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 18/05/2004 - pr-04-06

 WCC and UN general secretaries discuss Iraq, Israel/Palestine, role of
religion

 Annan welcomes proposal to mark International Day of Peace with prayer

					    Free photo available, see below

 Churches' concern over the situation in Iraq and the Israel/Palestine
 conflict, the role of religion in conflict, and working relations between
 the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the United Nations Organization
 were the focus of a first meeting between the UN secretary-general Kofi
 Annan and the WCC general secretary Rev.  Dr Samuel Kobia.  Annan welcomed
 Kobia's initiative to invite the Council's member churches to mark the
 International Day of Peace with prayer services.

 This first meeting between the two general secretaries took place at UN
 headquarters in New York yesterday afternoon in a friendly atmosphere
 despite pressures created by the killing that morning of the head of
 Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council, Ezzedine Salim.

 "On behalf of WCC member churches, I expressed admiration to Annan for his
 leadership role at a time when multilateralism is threatened and under
 attack," Kobia said after the meeting.  The UN secretary-general
 acknowledged that both organizations' agendas are intertwined, and praised
 the partnership between them.

 The WCC general secretary voiced churches' concerns over the situation in
 Iraq, which he characterized as "critical, with an escalation of violence,
 because of the wrong policies of the occupation forces" . While
 appreciating that the sanctions are over, Kobia stressed that "an exit
 strategy would begin with the withdrawal of the US from all civilian
 affairs," including management, financial responsibility and oil.  "We
 also see the need to create a mechanism for truth and reconciliation,
 which should include in its mandate the actions of the occupying powers,"
 Kobia added.

 Regarding the Israel/Palestine conflict, Kobia shared the WCC assessment
 of the Road Map and Geneva Accords.  While the first "does not comprise
 any original proposal that could help the two sides to overcome the bloody
 cycle of occupation, terrorism and retribution," the latter "stimulates
 the public opinions on both sides to overcome stereotypes and find a
 common understanding of respect for the other". Annan pointed out the need
 for cooperation between the WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in
 Palestine/Israel (EAPPI) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
 Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

 Committed since its inception to inter-religious dialogue, the WCC is
 concerned with the growing role of religion in politics and conflict.	A
 negative force when used "to gain political power and emphasize the
 exclusiveness and primacy of one's own group," religion can also make a
 constructive contribution "by emphasizing fundamental ethics and
 humanity," Kobia said.  "To foster goodwill and understanding between
 communities, inter-religious dialogue has to be at the grassroots level
 and address issues of common concern in the struggle against oppression
 and injustice," he added.  Annan encouraged a dialogue between
 civilizations, stressing that while Islam is isolated in Western countries
 Christian communities are in a difficult position in many Muslim
 countries.

 Expressing appreciation that the UN General Assembly has designated 21
 September as an International Day of Peace, Kobia shared with Annan his
 intention to propose to the WCC governing bodies that they invite member
 churches to mark that day with special prayer services.  "As a day of
 prayer for peace, the invitation could also reach people of other faiths,"
 Kobia stressed.  Annan warmly welcomed the proposal, saying that it
 responds to his hope that the International Day of Peace will encourage
 people in different contexts to reflect together on what they can do for
 peace.

 Among other issues of common concern mentioned at the meeting were
 poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and conflicts in Africa.  Kobia also took
 advantage of the meeting to invite the UN secretary-general to participate
 in and address the WCC assembly to be held in Porto Alegre in February
 2006.

 WCC cooperation with the UN began before both organizations were formally
 created.  In 1946, the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs
 (CCIA) was formed to ensure an effective relationship between the churches
 and the leadership of the new global body, and also to provide the main
 means to represent WCC member churches at the UN.  CCIA became one of the
 first international non-governmental organizations to be granted
 consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council.

 Kobia was accompanied at the meeting by the vice moderator of the WCC/CCIA
 Ms Lois Dauway, the WCC/CCIA director Mr Peter Weiderud, and the WCC
 permanent representative to the UN Rev. Dr Laurence Bropleh.

 A high-resolution photo of Rev. Dr Kobia's meeting with Kofi Annan is
 available at:
 http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/kobia-annan2004.html 

For more information contact:
	 Media Relations Office: tel: (+41 22) 791 64 21 /  61 53
	 e-mail:media@wcc-coe.org - http://www.wcc-coe.org 

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 342, in more
than 120 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian
traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works
cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly,
which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by
general secretary Samuel Kobia from the Methodist church in Kenya.