Full text of the statement below

NEW YORK, NY, June 28, 2004—The top mission leaders of The United Methodist Church today identified four areas of concern regarding the transfer of power in Iraq from the United States to an Iraqi administration.

A joint statement from Bishop Joel N. Martinez of San Antonio, president of the General Board of Global Ministries, and the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the agency, stressed the importance of international oversight under a United Nations mandate in the rebuilding of Iraq. Other concerns dealt with relief work, security issues, and the use of military power.

Bishop Martinez and Mr. Day pointed out that The United Methodist Church officially “deplores” war and affirms the rights of all people to determine their own destinies. They said they spoke on Iraq from the perspective of United Methodist mission commitments to alleviate human suffering and promote justice, peace, and freedom.

“We pray that the US-led military coalition will allow the UN to do its work without interference,” the Martinez-Day statement said, echoing a May appeal of the United Methodist Council of Bishops on the need for a UN role in moving Iraq toward peace and stability.

The mission leaders voiced concerns over the future of relief and rehabilitation programs as the power shift takes place. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has been working with other humanitarian groups in providing emergency services, especially to Iraqi children.

Bishop Martinez and Mr. Day noted that some relief agencies inside Iraq have indicated that they may withdraw if greater chaos follows the governmental transition. Speaking of UMCOR, which is part of the mission board, they said: “We are committed to assist with refugee and relief programs as long as viable systems of service delivery are available.” They said they anticipated enlarged opportunities for long term recovery programs under an Iraqi administration.

The statement expressed concern for international military personnel who will continue to serve in peacekeeping capacities in Iraq. It said: “We reissue our bishops’ call for payers for all ‘military personnel and their families who have sacrificed as a result of this war,’ and pray that there will be no more killing and wounding of military personnel or civilians inside Iraq. We are concerned about the impact on families and children of second Iraq tours of duty by personnel of the coalition forces.”

The bishop and the mission board executive said that they continue be to “distressed by the assumptions about military rights and might evidenced by the US-led coalition in its intervention in Iraq, despite the horrifying human rights record of the Saddam Hussein regime. Our discomfort with the Preemptive Doctrine of the United States is intensified by 1) the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US personnel; 2) the assertion by the bi-partisan Commission on the September 11, 2001 attacks that no ‘operational relationship’ existed between Saddam Hussein and Osama ben Laden; and 3) the lack of evidence of weapons of massive destruction, which threat was put forth by the US and Britain as the primary reason for their military action.”

The statement concludes with a call to people of all religions and nations to join in reconstructing Iraq and in building an unbreakable global network of peace and justice.

The full text of the statement follows:

We are prayerfully concerned about the short- and long-term results of the transfer of Iraq’s sovereignty by the United States and its military allies, with power handed over to an Iraqi administration today, June 28, 2004. Our perspectives on Iraq are based in our Christian mission commitments to alleviate human suffering and promote freedom, justice, and peace. Four overlapping issues command our attention with regard to Iraq at this time:

• International Action. We are pleased that the United Nations is taking a major role in the transition. We see international collaboration as the only means of achieving security in the future. As recently as May 8, the United Methodist Council of Bishops called for UN participation in the rebuilding of Iraq. We pray that the US-led military coalition will allow the UN to do its work without interference. We affirm the UN Security Council’s call for the “rights of the Iraqi people freely to determine their own political future and to exercise full authority and control over their financial and natural resources.”
• Relief and Rehabilitation. We await greater opportunities to engage in social and economic rehabilitation in Iraq, but we are concerned for the immediate and long-range future of relief programs, especially for existing services to children in this violent and violated country. Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), we are working with partner humanitarian organizations to provide for the needs of children. Some of those groups hope to remain in Iraq after the political change, but others, anticipating intensified violence, may withdraw. We are committed to assist with refugee and relief programs as long as viable systems of service delivery are available.
• Military Personnel and Security. We dare to dream of peace in Iraq, but we are concerned about the continuing impact of the war and post-war policies on peace-keeping military personnel and their families. We pray that a multinational security force, working with the Iraqi police and military, can bring about peace and calm. We reissue our bishops’ call for payers for all “military personnel and their families who have sacrificed as a result of this war,” and pray that there will be no more killing and wounding of military personnel or civilians inside Iraq. We are concerned about the impact on families and children of second Iraq tours of duty by personnel of the coalition forces.
• Use of Military Power. As we pray for justice in Iraq, we continue to be distressed by the assumptions about military rights and might evidenced by the US-led coalition in its intervention in Iraq, despite the horrifying human rights record of the Hussein regime. Our discomfort with the Preemptive Doctrine of the United States is intensified by 1) the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US personnel; 2) the assertion by the bi-partisan Commission on the September 11, 2001 attacks that no “operational relationship” existed between Saddam Hussein and Osama ben Laden; and 3) the lack of evidence of weapons of massive destruction, which threat was put forth by the US and Britain as the primary reason for their military action.

As United Methodists, “we deplore war” and work for the peaceful settlement of disputes (2000 Book of Discipline, Par 164G). We affirm the right and duty of people of all nations to determine their own destiny (2000 Book of Discipline, Par 165B). We acknowledge our Christian responsibility to provide relief and rehabilitation for victims of war and ministries of reconciliation for combatants. We affirm the need for sensitive and caring ministries to military personnel and their families.

We invite men and women of all nations and religions to work together in the reconstruction of Iraq, and to join hands in building an unbreakable global network of peace and justice.

Bishop Joel N. Martinez, President
The Rev. R. Randy Day, General Secretary

General Board of Global Ministries
The United Methodist Church

June 28, 2004

	See Also... Topic: Civil rights |  Communities |  Emergencies |  Human rights |  International affairs |  Peace |  Prayers |  War |  Statements |  Geographic Region: Iraq |  Source: GBGM Press Releases
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Date posted: Jun 28, 2004