War Against Iraq Only As A Last Resort Say Presbyterians

The General Board of the Presbyterian Church meeting in Belfast today, Thursday 27 February, has stated that in resolving the Iraq crisis, force should only be used as a last resort.

A report from the Presbyterian Church and Government Committee presented to the General Board said that 'Every avenue, short of war, must be pursued.' It continued 'War, as a policy of last resort, is always the lesser of two evils, involving, as it inevitably does, death, injury and destruction and the use of the finite resources of the earth. War can only be embarked upon with regret and a penitent heart devoid of self-righteousness.'

The following resolution was agreed by the Board:

That the General Board conscious

1. of the unwillingness of Saddam Hussein since 1991 to comply with the conditions laid down by the UN for the continuation of his Presidency.

2. of his history of aggression against citizens in his own country and against his neighbours.

3. of the unstable nature of the region.

4. of the need to marshal an international consensus before any war is embarked upon.

5. of the need to put pressure on Iraq to comply with UN resolutions.

6. of the threat of asymmetrical warfare through international terrorism.

7. of the danger posed to Christian minorities in predominately Muslim countries and the implications for Christian mission as well as Muslim/Christian relationships

encourage

a. The Church to pray for political leaders, for men and women in the armed forces, for civilians and for a satisfactory resolution of these crises.

b. The United Nations to ensure that Saddam Hussein is disarmed, using force only as a last resort.

c. The governments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland to pursue the creation of an international consensus to resolve the issue and to use their influence to discourage unilateral action on the part of the USA.

d. The international community to pursue a resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org

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