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WCC calls on Iraq to respect UN, expresses alarm at US military stance
02333
September 2, 2002
  
WCC calls on Iraq to respect UN, expresses alarm at US military stance  
  
by Peter Kenny  
Ecumenical News International

Geneva - The World Council of Churches called on the United States to desist from military threats against Iraq and on Baghdad to respect United Nations Security Council resolutions, including demands that it destroy all weapons of
mass destruction and that it co-operate fully with UN inspectors.
 	The call was made by the central committee of the WCC, the ecumenical body's main governing body, which said it was "alarmed about the persistent effort of the Government of the United States to gather international support for a new military action against Iraq with the stated objective of overthrowing the present government" in Baghdad.    	At the same time the WCC reaffirmed its own earlier statements calling on the UN Security Council to lift immediately all sanctions that have direct and indiscriminate effect on the civilian population of Iraq.  
  	"Reiterating its conviction that under the sovereignty of God, no nation is entitled to prosecute vengeance against another, nor is any nation entitled to take unilateral actions that lead to the devastation of another nation and the massive suffering of its people," the WCC statement said.  
  	The WCC body called on all member churches to urge their government to address the "root causes of the conflict itself" and to put an end to the "dire humanitarian crisis in Iraq."  
  	The statement followed a call by leaders of two dozen mainstream North American and British churches on Friday for their governments to halt a "rush to war" with Iraq and the WCC said its statement was meant back that letter.  
  	It also came on the same day former South African President Nelson Mandela said he was appalled by US threats to attack Iraq and in which he issued a warning that the United States was "introducing chaos in international affairs."   
  	In their open letter, the church leaders urged their governments to exercise restraint in the face of demands for military action to remove Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power.  
  	"We call upon our governments to pursue diplomatic means in active co-operation with the United Nations and to stop the apparent rush to war," the leaders said.  
  	The letter was distributed by representatives of Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican churches and ecumenical organizations at a meeting in Geneva of the main governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC). The WCC is a fellowship of 342 churches world-wide.  
  	Their letter also condemned "threats to peace" posed by Iraq.   
  	The Iraqi government had a "duty to stop its internal repression" and "to abandon its efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction."  
  	But the letter stated that no evidence had been made public of an alleged build-up of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This prevented the public from being able to make informed decisions about military action, the letter stated.  
  	It accused the US and UK governments of "depriving the US Congress and the UK Parliament of the ability to make a considered judgment regarding the justification for war."    
	They cautioned that war would harm Christian-Muslim relations, could result in a direct military confrontation in Israel and strengthen the forces of extremism and terrorism. 
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