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07116 March 1, 2007
Stated Clerk sends letters to Presidents Bush and Ahmadinejad
Urges 'direct, unconditional talks' between the U.S. and Iran
by Sharon Youngs
Office of the General Assembly communications officer
LOUISVILLE - Amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran, Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), sent letters late last week to Presidents George W. Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, encouraging them to hold "direct, unconditional talks" between the two nations.
The Stated Clerk joins a chorus of religious leaders worldwide who are appealing for the direct talks amid deepening concern after the passing of the deadline for Iran's compliance with United Nations Resolution 1737 to end its move toward the development of nuclear weapons capability.
Late word yesterday of the possibility of direct talks happening next month is "very encouraging news to receive," said Kirkpatrick.
In his letters, the Stated Clerk lifts up the decades-long commitment of the General Assembly to "the preferential use of nonviolent means for conflict resolution and social change."
The full texts of the letter to Bush, dated Feb. 23, 2007:
Dear Mr. President:
I am writing to you on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) out of our urgent concern over the growing tensions and outright hostility between the United States and Iran. That concern has deepened since the passing of the deadline for Iran's compliance with United Nations Resolution 1737.
We appreciate the fact that the United States has joined with the other members of the Security Council and most of the member states of the United Nations in expressing great concern over the possibility that Iran may be working toward nuclear weapons capability. We also recognize the unique role of the U.S. in challenging Iran because of both our current involvement in Iraq and our unique relationship with Israel.
As you contemplate further responses to Iran, we lift up to you the decades of commitment of our General Assembly to "the preferential use of nonviolent means for conflict resolution and social change." Those policies have consistently called for the reduction of nuclear arsenals by those who have them and a moratorium on the development of such weapons of mass destruction. Specifically, our General Assembly in 1997 "Call(ed) upon all Middle Eastern countries to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention and vigorously adhere to the provisions of these treaties."
We share the dread of many that this current crisis with Iran could lead to a new nuclear arms race within the region. Therefore, we strongly concur in the call of the international community to President Ahmadinejad to forswear any intention to develop a nuclear weapons capability. We also note, however, that the development and use of nuclear energy production by Iran-the stated goal of Iran's uranium enrichment efforts- is consistent with the principles of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, to which both Iran and the United States are signatories.
The crisis is complicated, of course, by Israel's known, but undisclosed and unchallenged, nuclear capability, and by clear indications of collaboration between Israel and the U.S. in developing a strategy for possible military action against Iran. Given Israel's increasing fear in the face of President Ahmadinejad's calls for the obliteration of Israel, the volatility of the current situation is extreme.
It is our conviction, supported by decades of our church's peacemaking policy and the devastation of regional wars in our lifetime, that no lasting peace can be achieved between hostile parties without diplomatic rapprochement. It is significant that at this moment our nation is celebrating the anniversary of the remarkable, courageous visit of President Nixon to China, our mortal enemy at the time. That unexpected, unprecedented initiative has borne the long-term fruit of peaceful relations and economic cooperation between our two countries. It is also reflected in China's current willingness to challenge Iran regarding their possible development of nuclear weapons and has played a role in the positive outcome of recent diplomatic negotiations with North Korea.
Unfortunately, the only conversation between the United States and Iran appears to consist of angry rhetoric directed at each other, including threats of possible U. S. military action. Given the violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine, God forbid that the devastation and turmoil affecting the region should be made worse by another war. We urge you to open up direct, unconditional talks with Iran to avoid further widening of the conflagration in the region.
Even as we write to you out of concern for all the people of the region, we are especially concerned for our Christian brothers and sisters in Iran, with whom we share membership in the worldwide Christian community through the World Council of Churches and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. They have lived and worked with people of all faiths for centuries and have been faithful witnesses for peace among all. We pray that there will be no intervention or other measures taken that make their fragile situation even more precarious.
I am including herewith a copy of the letter I have sent to President Ahmadinejad so that you will know the great seriousness with which we take the threat of new nuclear weapons in the region. We also reiterate our plea that all parties put aside the hostile language, which poses a genuine threat to achieving a nonviolent resolution of this conflict.
We pray for God's wisdom and strength as you provide leadership that moves not only our nation, but also all the nations of the Middle East toward a more hopeful future of peace and stability.
The full text of the letter to Ahmadinejad, also dated Feb. 23:
Your Excellency,
In the name of God, the Merciful, I greet you on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), the highest governing body of our church of 2.5 million members.
I am writing to you out of our deep concern for peace in the Middle East and particularly about our concern over the current tensions between your government and the United States, as well as other members of the international community, regarding the threat of nuclear proliferation in the region. In order for you to see our expression of concern to President Bush, as well, I have attached herewith my letter to him.
I would like to thank you for your willingness to meet with Christian leaders last September in New York and to respond to questions from representatives of our church who were in the group. We also take note of the delegation of U. S. church leaders who are currently in your country. We trust that these experiences will contribute to our understanding of each other and of our solidarity in working together for peace.
As you no doubt realize from the earlier conversation, we are people of faith who believe that our faith ca lls us to be engaged in the world in the interest of seeking God's peace and justice for all of God's children.
We have watched as tensions have escalated in recent weeks, with the only apparent communication consisting of threats thrown back and forth between the parties. Now that the deadline set by the United Nations for Iranian compliance with UN Resolution 1737 has passed without a positive response, we are even more concerned. Threatening rhetoric has increased, and the United States has escalated the military threat by positioning naval reinforcements in the Gulf. There are reports by the British Broadcasting Company and others of plans that identify specific military targets across Iran. Your government has expressed the determination to respond in kind, should the United States resort to military action.
Our church's General Assemblies and Reformed churches worldwide have called consistently for peaceful resolution to international conflicts and we believe that the only way for that to occur is for belligerent parties to talk with one another. We acknowledge statements by your government that you are willing to engage in such talks, absent conditions that are imposed by the U.S. and others in the international community. You will see in my letter to President Bush that we have urged him as strongly as possible to enter into direct, unconditional, diplomatic negotiations as a way forward that could lead to a non-violent resolution.
Having said that, we also urge approachability and transparency on your part. It is clear that your hostile rhetoric about Israel, calling for the obliteration of Israel, has had the effect of escalating tensions in the region, exacerbating Israeli-Palestinian relations, and increasing the determination of the United States to take a "hard line" toward Iran. It has also contributed to the conviction of our own political leaders that you cannot be trusted when you claim that your nuclear enrichment projects are intended only for peaceful uses.
Tragically, in the wake of this growing standoff, it appears that other nations in the region are hinting that they, too, may begin to explore "the nuclear option" if Iran is in that process.
The testing of truth for both Iran and the international community can only come as all parties agree to talk with one another in good faith. As both you and President Bush know, the death and destruction that plague the region have brought incredible grief to families, individuals, and the nations involved. It has also prevented all the nations in the region, including Iran, from realizing their social, political, and economic potential.
We pray, in the name of the God we serve, that both you and President Bush will find a way out of the conflict that can lead to life rather than death, to peace rather than more war.
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