wfn.org | Violence will not lead to peace and justice in Zimbabwe, says Raiser

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6819 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

29-August-2001
01302

Violence will not lead to peace and justice in Zimbabwe, says Raiser

Mugabe refuses to meet with WCC head

by Ecumenical News International

HARARE - Violence will never lead to peace and justice in Zimbabwe, said
Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, who was
visiting the country.

	Raiser, who was leading a six-member delegation in southern Africa, arrived
in Zimbabwe on Aug. 26.

	Requests made by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) for a meeting
between Raiser and President Robert Mugabe were ignored by government
officials.

	Raiser's visit coincided with the publication by the ZCC of a pastoral
letter condemning the violence that has gripped this southern African
nation.

	In a sermon delivered at Trinity Methodist Church in central Harare on Aug.
27, Raiser gave his backing to the pastoral letter, saying that it
represented "the voice of
Truth."

	In the letter, the ZCC - Zimbabwe's largest Christian organization -
criticized the government for instigating violent actions against its
perceived opponents, restricting civic organizations from carrying out voter
education programs and allowing war veterans to take the law into their own
hands.

	"A very frightening culture of politically motivated violence has emerged,"
the ZCC stated. "Many people have fallen victim to this monster. We are
witnessing murders, rapes, beatings and abductions." The letter continued:
"The ZCC is deeply perturbed by the role given to the war veterans in
'resolving' national issues and by the violence surrounding their activities
and the perception that they are above the law.

	"As church leaders we are convinced that the President of Zimbabwe has the
capacity to stop this violence," the letter stated, adding: "We have heard
political leaders instigating violent actions against their opponents. Death
threats have been publicly made. This is unacceptable. Violence hampers
development and denigrates the dignity and image of the nation."

	At least 30 people have been killed in political violence and
racially-motivated attacks since February last year.

	Raiser told the congregation in Harare: "Violence can never be a way to
achieve justice. I believe we heard this in the pastoral letter. It is the
voice of truth which I believe might help stem the tide.

	"The pastoral letter stems from dialogue with political leaders, a dialogue
which has been difficult to establish. The churches are prepared to continue
with such dialogue with those who carry responsibility in this country."

	Raiser, whose last visit to Zimbabwe was in 1998 for the WCC assembly in
Harare, said that the situation in the country had become "more and more
critical" since then.

	He said: "We have traveled with you during turbulent times, and it looks
like further storms are ahead."

	Churches were prepared to facilitate dialogue during conflicts, Raiser
said, pointing to the offer by churches in Angola to help promote dialogue
between the parties in the civil war.

	"It is also precisely the offer which has been made by churches in Zimbabwe
to the officials of the government and the opposition," he said.

	After his sermon, Raiser told journalists that while he had not been able
to meet President Mugabe, the WCC had expressed its concern about the
situation in Zimbabwe through Zimbabwe's representative to the United
Nations, based in Switzerland.

	He said that if the government refused to talk with the churches, the WCC
would not be able to help Zimbabwe. "We will not be of assistance as long as
the government refuses to be in dialogue and listen to the churches, which
represent a large constituency," he said.

	Raiser said the government of Zimbabwe had directly and indirectly asked
the WCC to intercede in the conflict between the Southern African nation and
the UK.

	Zimbabwe accuses Britain of reneging on a pledge to fund land reform as
part of the 1979 Lancaster House agreement that brought independence to
Zimbabwe. The impasse has led to strained relations between Zimbabwe and
Britain and is one of the reasons cited by President Mugabe's government for
the expropriation of white-owned farms.

	Raiser said: "The Zimbabwe government wants the British government to be
approached so that they can change their position on the question of land
and Lancaster House agreement, with regards to financial assistance. We said
in principle, we are prepared to consider [this] but not before there has
been real dialogue."

	Asked if the government had refused to engage in dialogue, Raiser said that
there had been no response to any request for meaningful dialogue.
------------------------------------------
Send your response to this article to pcusa.news@pcusa.org

------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send an 'unsubscribe' request to

pcusanews-request@halak.pcusa.org