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["Sheila MESA" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Update
27 May 1999

CONSULTATION ON THE CHURCHES AND THE CRISIS
IN THE BALKANS
Budapest, Hungary, 26-27 May 1999

c.f. WCC press release of 21 May 1999

Over 40 church leaders and representatives from Eastern and Western Europe as well as from North America met in Budapest, Hungary, from 26 to 27 May to discuss the churches' response to the crisis in the Balkans region. Representatives of the churches in the Federal Republic Yugoslavia (Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed and Serbian Orthodox churches) participated in the meeting.

The consultation was jointly organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) in cooperation with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), and was hosted by the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary. The consultation benefitted from the presence of a representative of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE). The international ecumenical organizations have taken several initiatives in response to the crisis, including the sending of delegations to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to Albania and to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

The main purposes of the consultation were:
- To exchange information on the churches' actions and statements in response to the  crisis in the Balkans;
- To engage in a dialogue aimed at a better understanding of the different perceptions    and positions of the churches;
- To discuss the churches' role and witness in response to the crisis and in promoting    peace.

The consultation shared in the widespread international concern about the escalation of the conflict and the reports of massive human rights violations in Kosovo, the devastating impact of the NATO airstrikes and the tragic effects on the civilian population, and the plight of almost a million refugees from Kosovo.

The consultion recognized the complex historical roots of the crisis, and the different perceptions of the nature of the conflict and of the immediate causes of the massive exodus of Kosovar Albanians.

In a context of renewed division and hostilities in Europe, the church representatives expressed their commitment to staying together in prayer and in solidarity. In this situation the churches should seek common Christian witness and action by affirming the following principles:
- To recognize the fundamental and urgent priority of negotiations as the only basis for a durable solution to the crisis, and to urge the parties to use all possible opportunities to end hostilities.
- To support initiatives which foster a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict, and which recognize the equal rights of all nationalities and ethnic groups to co-exist within the same territory.
- To promote the guaranteed right of return and security of all those displaced by the conflict.
- To recognize and promote the central role of the United Nations and the OSCE in any negotiated solution to the crisis.
- To contribute to the process of reconciliation and rehabilitation of communities.
- To support efforts to render justice to all victims of the conflict.
- To continue the response to the humanitarian needs of all those affected by the crisis, through WCC/LWF ACT-Action By Churches Together and local churches and partners.

The consultation recognized the need for further dialogue and discussion of the following issues:
- The concept of "just war" and the means of peaceful resolution of conflict.
- The competing claims of national sovereignty and of humanitarian intervention.
- The relationship between religion, identity, territory and nation.
- The role which national contexts, minority/majority status and history play in the formation of perceptions.
- The identification and nature of reliable sources of information and its accurate dissemination.

Follow-up and possible future actions:
- The consultation recognized that the crisis affects the entire region of Southeastern Europe. A lasting solution will be furthered decisively if the national, ethnic, cultural and historical  features can be brought into the process of European integration. In particular, the Orthodox tradition must be acknowledged as an integral part of the European heritage.
- A special expectation for follow-up focuses on the Conference of European Churches. In particular, cooperation with the CCEE and other appropriate Roman Catholic partners can be strengthened in response to the regional challenges. The framework of cooperation with the churches and ecumenical organizations in North America should also be reinforced, drawing on the experience of the churches' human rights programme.
- The creation of new instruments for a Christian response at the Southeastern Europe level should be seriously considered in order to generate and nurture a future-oriented approach, emphasizing preventive action, education, interreligious dialogue and building on existing and new networks within civil society.

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of 336 churches, in more than 100 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 Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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