A number of religious leaders, including Sojourners, have issued "A Statement of Concern for Peace in Yugoslavia." Excerpts follow:
We seek a solution that will end the killing and destruction on the ground and from the air. We urgently call on the international community—political, civil, and religious—to take a greater role in working toward resolving the Balkans crisis. We call for the following steps:
1. We urge the U.N. secretary general and Security Council to take the initiative in calling for a mutual cease fire by all parties in the conflict—Yugoslavia, NATO, and the KLA. NATO should suspend its military attacks in exchange for a withdrawal of Yugoslav military and paramilitary forces from Kosovo.
2. The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe should immediately convene negotiations aimed at achieving the monitored withdrawal of all Serbian military forces, the safe return of refugees, and the deployment of a multinational protective force under U.N. authority with significant Russian participation.
3. War crimes indictments should be brought against those responsible for massacres and atrocities.
4. Humanitarian and economic aid must be provided to meet immediate needs and assist in the resettlement of refugees and the reconstruction of Yugoslavia.
Rather than continuing the spiral of escalating violence, we urge our leaders to take the moral high ground in forging a diplomatic solution in Yugoslavia that will restore dignity with justice for a sustainable peace in Yugoslavia.
For a copy of the complete statement, contact Sojourners at 1-800-714-7474 or www.sojourners.com.
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