World Council of Churches - News Release
Contact: +41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363 media@wcc-coe.org
For immediate release - 02/01/2008 03:47:46 PM
WCC CALLS ON KENYAN TOP POLITICAL FIGURES TO ABANDON PARTISAN POSTURES AND NEGOTIATE A POLITICAL SOLUTION TO THE COUNTRY'S ELECTORAL DISPUTE
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has called on the leaders of Kenya's two main political parties to "turn urgently from partisan postures and negotiate in good faith to reach a non-violent, political solution" to the country's electoral dispute. In a statement made public on 2 January, Kobia affirmed that "an independent investigation of the electoral dispute is necessary and should be monitored by international observers".
While the disputed result of the recent presidential election has led to an explosion of violence that has already killed about 300 people, the WCC general secretary, a Kenyan himself, called the political leaders to "put the interests of the nation and the surrounding region above other concerns".
The statement also calls on the churches of Kenya to "do their part in pursuing the common good of their communities and country" by fulfilling their role "in ensuring respect for human life and seeking reconciliation between neighbours". This is something "especially urgent amid ominous signs of ethnically targeted hatred and violence", affirmed Kobia.
The statement appeals to churches abroad to provide humanitarian aid through ecumenical partners in Kenya to communities affected by the violence.
Full text of the WCC statement on post-election violence in Kenya http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=5493
Additional information:Juan Michel,+41 22 791 6153 +41 79 507 6363media@wcc -coe.org
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
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