wfn.org | Title: WCC calls for UN lead role in Iraq

["WCC Media" <Media@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Press Release 03-29-14e
For Immediate Use
01 September 2003

WCC CENTRAL COMMITTEE

WCC calls for UN lead role in Iraq

The Central Committee of the World Council of Churches has issued a
comprehensive statement in the aftermath of the Iraq war, calling for the
United Nations to be allowed to work with Iraqis to form a representative,
participatory government free of external control. 

According to the WCC, there should be an "immediate and orderly withdrawal"
of occupying forces, and transitional administration should be handed over to
the UN. 

While condemning the human rights violations of the previous regime, it
reiterates its position that the war was "immoral, ill-advised and in breach
of the principles of the UN Charter". 

The WCC also expresses "dismay" at the fact that the actions of the UN
Security Council after the war - such as giving the occupying powers the
right to administer Iraq - had "the propensity to undermine its role as
primary upholder of international peace and security".	

It opposes the establishment by the occupying powers of military bases in
Iraq, and any attempts to make commercial gains from rebuilding the country.
According to the WCC, the occupying powers should pay reparations for all
damage caused by military action, and remove all un-detonated munitions.

Noting the problems of lawlessness, daily violence and poverty in Iraq, it
calls for the United Nations to play a leading role in humanitarian relief
and the reconstruction of the country.	It also calls for the cancellation of
"crippling" Iraqi debt, estimated at between $100 and $150bn. 

The statement also expresses concern about the long-term consequences of the
war, particularly for Christian-Muslim relations, and stresses the need for
diplomatic efforts "to address outstanding conflict issues in the Middle
East, most notably the need to end the illegal occupation of Palestine." It
condemns acts of violence such as the killing of religious leaders and the
attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad. 

Welcoming the stance of all the WCC member churches in opposing the war,
particularly those in the USA, UK and Australia, it affirms the role of Iraqi
churches in the reconstruction of the country, and re-emphasizes the
importance of dialogue between religious communities. 

On the first day of the Central Committee meeting, Rev. Dr Riad Jarjour,
general secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, expressed gratitude
to the WCC for its leadership on Middle East issues, particularly Palestine,
Cyprus and Iraq. He noted that the statements and actions of the WCC and
churches around the world against the war in Iraq had "contributed to
inter-religious dialogue in the Middle East".

In a separate minute, the Central Committee also welcomed the support shown
by churches and church-related agencies for the WCC campaign to "End the
Illegal Occupation of Palestine". 

A year after the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
began, it also recognised the "courageous" witness of Ecumenical
Accompaniers, reaffirming its commitment to the programme and asking all
member churches to support it. 

It expressed its concern about closures, curfews, extra-judicial killings and
the Israeli "separation wall", and expressed its regret that the government
of Israel had continued to refuse to recognise the election of His Beatitude
Patriarch Irineos I as head of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. 

The WCC Central Committee also endorsed a report from the Commission of the
Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), "The Responsibility to Protect:
Ethical and Theological Reflections". Prepared as a follow-up to a previous
study document, the report emphasises the growing fears of many people
regarding attacks on civilians and responses by governments, and says, "These
situations further underline the role of the United Nations and international
law". 

Noting that churches have divergent views on the use of military force, the
Central Committee urged member churches to continue to study these issues and
to share their insights with the CCIA, which would report back to the next
WCC Assembly. 

The full text of this statement will be available at:
http://www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments2003.nsf 

For further information, please contact the Media Relations Office, tel: +41
(0)22 791 64 21 /61 53

**********

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches, now 342, 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, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary
Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

World Council of Churches
Media Relations Office
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