wfn.org | NCC ADDRESSES CONCERNS - AND A RAY OF HOPE - IN THE MIDDLE EAST

["Carol Fouke" <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

For Immediate Release
Media Liaison: 212-870-2252
news@ncccusa.org; www.ncccusa.org

NCC ADDRESSES CONCERNS - AND A RAY OF HOPE - IN THE MIDDLE EAST

December 11, 2003, NEW YORK CITY - In a statement released today, the
National Council of Churches U.S.A. addressed concerns about the deaths of
children in U.S. bombing campaigns in Afghanistan and about the
reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.  At the same time, it
described a ray of hope for Israel / Palestine in the development of the
Geneva Accord.

The full statement follows.

Unfortunate Developments in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a Ray of Hope in
Israel / Palestine

This weeks unfortunate developments in both Afghanistan and Iraq compel
people of good will to question once again the Administrations policies, as
well as the moral and ethical foundations of its plans.  A ray of hope in
this sea of darkness, oddly enough, comes out of the Israeli - Palestinian
conflict, and the Administrations approach to it, with the development of
the Geneva Accord.

Two separate U.S. bombing campaigns in Afghanistan have resulted in the
death of several children.  Such tragic incidents remind us that, while the
U.S. planned and executed the war in Afghanistan with precision, it left the
aftermath of the war underplanned and underfunded, and therefore subjected
the innocent people of that beleaguered nation - and our own military
personnel - to unnecessary danger.

With regard to Iraq, the latest development concerns the arrogance and lack
of foresight with which the U.S. government is pursuing economic
reconstruction.  News reports tell us that the Defense Department is now
excluding from the bidding process on necessary and lucrative contracts all
corporations from countries that did not support the war in that country.

At a time when the U.S. should be intentionally and vigorously seeking a
multi-lateral approach to rebuilding Iraq, it instead compromises the
success of reconstruction by repeating the unilateral policies that have
created worldwide ill will toward our country.	 As indicated by initial
reactions from some of our closest allies, this latest move by the Pentagon
will undermine the hopes for international fence mending and future good
will that could be the result of fair and honest competition and
cooperation.

In contrast to these developments, the Administrations policy toward the
Israeli - Palestinian conflict offers some hope to the people of the Middle
East.  The U.S. promotion of the road map to peace is an ongoing
motivation to all parties to seek resolution to this long-standing conflict.
Of more immediate reassurance is the Administrations implicit support,
through the State Department, of the Geneva Accord.

The National Council of Churches encourages serious consideration of the
Geneva Accord as a means of moving toward a peaceful and just resolution to
the long-standing conflict in Israel / Palestine.  In the troubled history
of this conflict, the NCC has always advocated for a resolution that
guarantees the security concerns of the Israelis and the right to a state
for the Palestinians.  Such a resolution includes the promotion of a shared
Jerusalem, in which the tradition and promise of the three monotheistic
faiths indigenous to the area are honored and the religious communities and
sacred sites are protected.

The Geneva Accord offers a glimmer of hope at a time when the darkness of
despair seems to be overcoming the entire Middle East.	We therefore implore
all parties involved in the conflict, and especially our own government, to
continue to see the possibility of peace inherent in this Accord and work to
make this possibility a reality. And we urge the U.S. government to rethink
its ill-conceived policies and plans for reconstruction in Afghanistan and
Iraq.

-end-

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