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ARCHBISHOP EAMES' CONCERNS OVER IRAQ CRISIS
The Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, today expressed his concerns about the developing Iraq crisis.
The Primate said: “I have just returned from a meeting of Anglican Church world leaders in Hong Kong and I have been left in no doubt as to the widespread concerns in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East about war in Iraq. There is a fear that if the United States initiates an attack the entire region could be drawn into the conflict. Despite the publication of the British government’s dossier on Iraq those that I met seriously question the justification for an attack. There are questions rather than answers raised by the information that has been made public.
“The moral issues of this situation outweigh the political even though it is difficult to draw a distinction.
“I am not a pacifist but the Gospel imperative makes me think first and foremost of what the Bible describes as ‘the poor’: the ordinary, innocent, vulnerable and defenceless people who are the real victims of any war. In the Iraq region there are millions of people who will suffer – and that suffering will be far more drastic than any economic or other inconvenience we may feel here in the west as a result of a war in Iraq.
“At what point and in what circumstances could military action be morally justified in Iraq?
“I have no doubt that it is justified only if every possible alternative has been tried – and seen to fail. Extensive examination of Iraq by the international inspector over a given period of time, full disclosure of their findings, full support by the UN for military action rather than unilateral action by one or a few nations and a massive humanitarian relief operation involving all the nations are just some of the ingredients I believe are necessary in this situation.
“Despite the sophistication of modern weapons we all know it is impossible to protect ‘the poor’ of any country under attack. Morally this knowledge must be a factor in any decision to go to war.
“I have yet to be convinced that enough has been done to exhaust all avenues short of war to remove any real or imagined threat from Iraq.”
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