c. 1997 Religion News Service

WASHINGTON _ Delegates to the National Council of Churches General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution Thursday (Nov. 13) reiterating their support for a complete ban on anti-personnel land mines and urging President Clinton to drop his opposition to a global pact eliminating the weapon.

The action came minutes after hearing an impassioned speech by Jody Williams, coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and co-winner with her organization of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.”We achieved this ban because we were right,”said Williams.”We achieved this ban because we never waivered. We achieved this ban because it was the morally and ethically correct position.” A group of about 100 nations _ but not the United States _ have agreed to a comprehensive ban on the weapon and are scheduled to sign the ban treaty in early December in Ottawa.

Clinton has insisted the United States be granted an exemption to the ban so it could deploy mines along the border between North and South Korea. When Williams won her prize, a White House spokesman said the president had no plans to change his mind.

Delegates to the general assembly urged Clinton”to drop U.S. insistence on the exceptions it previously articulated”and sign the ban treaty. They also encouraged Congress to pass proposed legislation to permanently halt deployment of anti-personnel land mines by the United States.

Williams, continuing to challenge Clinton’s position, argued in her brief speech to the NCC that humanitarian needs should override military arguments for the weapon.”I even understand the utility of the weapon,”she said.”The problem is that utility is infinitesimal in the face of the humanitarian consequences.” There are an estimated 100 million land mines in former and current war zones across the globe. They kill or maim an estimated 26,000 people _ mostly civilians, often women and children _ each year.

In a news conference after the resolution was passed, Williams credited religious groups with helping support the ban by addressing the issue in houses of worship and pointing out that”the victims are the poorest of the poor.” Linda Hartke, director of programs and operations for Church World Service,the NCC’s relief and humanitarian arm, cheered the resolution’s passage.”It’s another public witness on behalf of the member communions of the council of our commitment for a ban, our continuing commitment to support de-mining … and a call on the president to provide the moral leadership we expect in supporting a ban,”said Hartke, who helped implement Church World Service’s program on de-mining and mining awareness in Cambodia.

In other matters addressed Thursday, the delegates learned of plans for the NCC’s general secretary and president to send a letter to churches concerning current tensions between the United Nations and Iraq, specifically calling for continued prayer for the”suffering people of Iraq.” On Wednesday, Roman Catholic bishops also expressed their concern about the suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of economic sanctions imposed on the country.

The NCC general assembly also passed a resolution urging member denominations to observe the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1998 and encouraging federal officials to reaffirm the country’s commitment to human rights.

On Wednesday, the ecumenical group added a 34th Christian group to its membership _ the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of India. The church, which dates to the visit of St. Thomas to India in the first century, was a founding member of the World Council of Churches and is in full communion with the Anglican and Episcopal churches.

In her general secretary’s report to the general assembly, the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell pointed to signs of greater cooperation among Christian groups.”I would be bold and claim that the cold war between the National Council of Churches and the National Association of Evangelicals has ended,”she said.”(NAE President) Don Argue and I consult regularly. We meet several times a year with Cardinal (William) Keeler (of Baltimore).” She said denominational leaders within the NCC decided Wednesday to contact the NAE and the National Black Evangelical Association about a proposed joint Summit on Racial Justice and Reconciliation in January 1999.

Bishop Craig Barry Anderson, rector of St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H., was installed as NCC president for 1998-99. The president-elect is the Rev. Andrew Young, a civil rights leader and former ambassador to the United Nations. Young, a United Church of Christ, will serve as NCC president in 2000-01.

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