Open
letter from Canberra Church leaders to the Australian Prime Minister
Possible
military action in Iraq
GPO Box 3089
Canberra ACT 2601
7 August 2002
Hon. John Howard
Prime Minister
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned Canberra Church leaders, wish
to express our grave concerns about the possibility of a US led attack on Iraq and Australia's involvement
in such a conflict. If such an attack takes place, the lives of hundred and
perhaps thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens will be put at risk. It is all too
easy for so-called "civilized" countries to devalue the lives of
ordinary people in poorer countries. Especially in repressive regimes, such
people have often suffered a great deal already from harsh leadership without
being further punished by foreign military action. Is an Iraqi life of any less
value than an Australian or an American life?
Clearly, the United States and its allies
are concerned about the build-up of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but we urge
you to encourage the US and its allies
to continue with diplomatic efforts to reach a resolution of the problem.
Currently, there seem to be some openings which may allow of that possibility.
In any case, we are convinced that no military action should be taken which is
not approved by the United Nations.
We note that the governments of Germany and France have publicly and jointly declared
that they will not support any attack on Iraq unless it has
been sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
We note that none of the states bordering on Iraq supports the idea of such an attack and
that even those of them that have not enjoyed good relations with Iraq in the recent
past, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, are opposed to
war.
We note that Iraq is not threatening
to attack Australia, the United States or any other
country. Iraq is indeed
hostile in its attitude to Israel, but to make
such an attitude a sufficient ground in itself for an attack, logically opens
the door to a horrendous conflagration, engulfing various other states with
similar attitudes. Violence on such a scale, and of such indefinite duration,
would be disproportionate and unjustifiable. It cannot be the best way forward
in the Middle East.
We note that Iraq espouses a
secular ideology which is neither favourable to, nor favoured by, extremist
interpretations of Islam. The New York Times has said there is no evidence that
Iraq or
Iraqi-sponsored organizations were responsible for the atrocities of September
11, and no evidence Iraq would supply
weapons to al Qaeda or similar groups.
Prime Minister, we are deeply concerned that the United States' leadership is
too easily marching towards a war course and that Australia is seemingly
giving its unquestioning support to such action .We take some comfort from your recent
reassurance that Australia will not become
involved without a full parliamentary debate.
We urge you to listen carefully to those voices which would seek a
peaceful resolution to the difficult problems which surround Iraq. You may be
aware that yesterday a very large group of concerned citizens including many
prominent Church personnel presented the British Prime Minister with a
declaration voicing similar concerns to ours.
We thank you in advance for giving attention to our pleas for
world peace. As Christian leaders we are urged by the Gospel imperative of
peace, as exemplified in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, to appeal to you not to
let Australia become involved
in any unauthorised
pre-emptive strike against Iraq. We promise you
the support of our prayers.
Yours sincerely,
Rev. Joy Bartholomew
(Presbyterian)
Bishop George Browning
(Anglican)
Archbishop Francis Carroll
(Catholic)
Ms Gillian Hunt
(NSW Ecumenical Council)
Rev. Thorwald Lorenzen
(Baptist)
Bishop Patrick Power
(Catholic)
Rev. Ron Reeson
(Uniting Church)
Rev. Sean Stanton
(Assemblies of God)
Rev. Detlev Vosgerau
(Lutheran)
Ms Stella Wilkie
(Quaker)
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