WCC NEWS: WCC general secretary calls for peace talks in Libya

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WCC GENERAL SECRETARY CALLS FOR PEACE TALKS IN LIBYA

For immediate release: 05 May 2011
 


The power and political will being used in Libya to protect the
safety and interests of the Libyan people “must be directed
away from the use of armed force” and “channelled into
negotiations to end the bloodshed” now consuming Libya, Rev. Dr
Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of
Churches (WCC) said in a statement on 4 May. 



“We must also call attention to the many people who are
bereaved, injured, giving care to the ever-increasing numbers of
casualties, the displaced and all those at risk as a result of
the ongoing conflicts and violence in Libya today,” Tveit said.
“May God be with them and save their lives.” 



The general secretary’s comments reflect a similar resolution
released by the WCC Central Committee during their meetings
earlier in February. In that resolution the Central Committee,
the highest governing body of the WCC, condemned “the use of
force on all sides of the conflict” and called on parties “to
respect the human rights of all people in Libya” while urging
for peaceful dialogue. 



Tveit’s comments come in advance of the WCC sponsored
International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) being held in
Kingston, Jamaica, 17-25 May. 



The event will bring together some 1000 participants from most
of the WCC member churches, the Roman Catholic Church and Muslim
and Jewish communities to explore the role of the church and
religion in peacemaking. The event includes Tveit, faith leaders
from around the world and features as a keynote speaker, Martin
Luther King III of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. 



Full text of Tveit’s comments on Libya:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=8456



Central Committee resolution of February 2011:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=8398 



IEPC website: 
www.overcomingviolence.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 349 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 Olav Fykse Tveit,
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva,
Switzerland.