May 18, 2006

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee called today on the government of Iran for a moratorium on its uranium enrichment programme, to recognize the state of Israel, and to support international efforts to end terrorism. Other countries should also contribute to global security, the committee said.

Urging the government of Iran to "fully comply and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Security Council directives and requests," the statement affirms that "a verifiable moratorium on all Iranian uranium enrichment and reprocessing efforts" is immediately required.

The statement evokes Iran's record of "clandestine nuclear research" and its "failure" to accomplish IAEA requirements, for which it has "lost the confidence of many in the international community". The moratorium is an "extraordinary" requirement that Iran must accept in order to regain "international trust", but which "does not deny in principle Iran's right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes".

Another issue mentioned by the WCC executive committee is "hateful and irresponsible statements" sometimes made "by the Iranian leadership against the Jewish people and the state of Israel".

According to the WCC statement, "Iran's acceptance and recognition of the state of Israel within the borders of 1967, and Iran's support for efforts by the international community to put an end to violence against unarmed and innocent civilians for political or religious aims," are among "commitments" needed "to begin to address broader security concerns".

In this context, the WCC executive committee rejects a "military solution" and requests a "multilateral diplomatic" approach to resolve the controversy around Iran's nuclear programme. Such a solution should include "strengthening the IAEA capacity for inspections".

The committee also called on the United Sates to honour the "negative security assurance" given in 1995 by the five nuclear weapon states signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). At that time, those countries pledged "never to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against any non-nuclear weapon state signatory to the NPT".

The WCC statement notes that "other states are also in serious violation of their non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament obligations".

In particular, the five nuclear weapons states signatories to the NPT (US, UK, France, Russia and China) which have not implemented agreed disarmament steps are called by the WCC executive committee to "accelerate their efforts toward verifiable and irreversible reductions and ultimate elimination of their nuclear arsenals".

Meanwhile, India, Israel and Pakistan, which have remained outside the Treaty, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which has withdrawn, are called to join or rejoin the Treaty as verifiable non-nuclear weapon states.

The WCC executive committee is meeting at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute outside Geneva from 16-19 May 2006 at its first session since its election at the Council's 9th Assembly in Brazil earlier this year.

The full text of the 18 May 2006 WCC executive committee "Statement on Iran and nuclear non-proliferation" is available at: http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?id=2258.

More on WCC work on nuclear non-proliferation: http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/nuclear.html.

World Council of Churches