The World Council of Churches has again called for an immediate ceasefire in Syria, urging the international community to find a way to “break the cycle of violence”.
In a statement issued on Monday in the wake of US, UK and French missile strikes on suspected Syrian Government chemical weapons sites, the WCC said that a “just and sustainable peace for all Syrians can only be brought about through a political solution”.
“The WCC deplores the fact that atrocities are still being perpetrated against civilians,” the statement read. “The UN Security Council has repeatedly failed to adopt sufficiently strong and consistent measures to put an end to these atrocities, to implement a durable ceasefire, to ensure respect for international law and accountability for all those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons.”
Along with calls for a ceasefire, the WCC also reiterated its calls for “unconditional humanitarian access to all regions in Syria, the commitment of all parties to respecting international law and to seeking peace through dialogue and a political process rather than by armed force, the resumption of the UN-led Geneva peace process, and the prompt return in safety and dignity for all civilians who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and lands”.
Noting that WCC member churches in Syria will play an important role in “healing wounded memories” and bringing all Syrians together in a “common narrative”, the WCC assured churches in Syria “that the ecumenical family will accompany them together with the whole people of Syria on this path, in working for a just peace and for human dignity.”
“We hope and pray that an end to the suffering of the Syrian people will be delayed no longer,” concluded the statement which was signed by Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC.
