Pax Christi USA rejects war, preparations for war, and every form of
violence and domination. In this spirit, we firmly oppose NATO airstrikes in the
region of Kosovo. In stating our opposition, Pax Christi USA acknowledges the
intransigence of President Slobodan Milosevic in the recent attempts to broker a
peace accord. While the ethnic Albanians demonstrated their willingness to sign
the accord, Milosevic refused to budge. We call upon President Milosevic to
return to the bargaining table with a willingness to work toward and comply with
an agreement which would end the violence in Kosovo. Pax Christi USA supports a
U.N.-brokered negotiated settlement and the reinstallation of the OSCE
international monitors who were removed from the country several days ago.
While we recognize the frustration which has preceded the
airstrikes, we call
for diplomacy and negotiation as alternatives to a military option. The conflict
in Kosovo has been escalating steadily and has deep roots. For several years the
Kosovars waged a successful nonviolent response to it. The conflict will not be
solved overnight or by launching airstrikes. For nearly three months, the U.S.
and Britain have launched daily airstrikes against Iraq. This incredible
aggression has not weakened the resolve of Saddam Hussein. It is unlikely that
an extended bombing campaign in Kosovo will force Slobodan Milosevic to halt
Serbian aggression and return to the bargaining table.
Pax Christi USA appeals to NATO to halt this bombing campaign out of concern
for the suffering and death which will surely be the result of airstrikes. NATO
officials have openly admitted that the risks to both civilians and those
directly involved in the conflict are high. The people of Kosovo have already
endured tragedy after tragedy due to the ongoing conflict. A bombing campaign
can only serve to heighten the suffering and death of people throughout the
region.
Pope John Paul II has warned that "violence of whatever form cannot
decide conflicts between individuals or between nations, because violence
generates more violence." This is being played out now in the region of
Kosovo. We call upon NATO and President Slobodan Milosevic to heed these words
of the pope as a step toward ending the escalating cycle of violence in Kosovo.
Nonviolent alternatives to the present conflict are the only means of achieving
a peace which will endure.
Pax Christi USA is the national Catholic peace movement. Its 14,000 members
work for the transformation of society through nonviolence and advocate
peacemaking as a priority in the Catholic Church in the United States. The
movement, headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, publishes peace education
literature, develops ministry programs and actively promotes justice for the
sake of creating a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. Pax Christi USA is
a section of Pax Christi International, which is active in more than 30
countries.
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