18th February, 2013
The World Council of Churches has expressed "grave concern" over last week’s nuclear test on the Korean Peninsula.
In a statement, Rev Dr Olav Fyske Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, said the test was a "destabilizing action in a fragile region".
"The current situation demonstrates an urgent need for the members of the Six-Party Talks, the six governments most responsible for peace and human security in Northeast Asia, to return to their own earlier path of negotiations and confidence-building," he said.
He said it was the hope of the WCC "that steps will be taken toward renewed inter-Korean engagement, direct contacts between the parties, multilateral negotiations and the redress of unresolved grievances".
Rev Dr Tveit also called for "signs of recognition that nuclear weapons in anyone”s hands are both a symptom of insecurity and a catalyst for instability."
The WCC will hold its worldwide assembly in Busan, South Korea, in October this year.
– DAVID ADAMS
