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Mr. William Jefferson Clinton President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. President, The current situation regarding Iraq is a cause of concern to the nation, to you and to all of us. We recognize the untenable position of Saddam Hussein and the potential threat his manufacture and possession of weapons of mass destruction pose to the whole world. We support all peaceful efforts by the international community to have the Iraqi leadership comply with the U.N. resolutions that would result in the destruction of such weapons and the guarantees that they would not be manufactured in the future. We are pleased that you and your administration are taking a leading role in attempting to enforce the U.N. resolutions. Because we recognize the danger of this situation and the potential that exists for aggressive action against other peoples and states by Iraq, we are convinced that the international community must be tireless in doing all it can to bring about Iraqi compliance. From that perspective, however, we view with grave concern the stated position of the U.S. administration indicating a readiness on the part of the United States to use military force to compel compliance by Iraq. In our considered judgment this action by the U.S. could be exceedingly difficult if not impossible to justify and would seriously jeopardize the possibility of achieving any lasting peace in the region. All of this leads us to the conclusion that renewed diplomatic efforts are the proper course of action. We write, therefore, to urge that instead of using the military option, you reinforce the diplomatic initiatives by widening the participation of other governments, especially the Arab states, in the concerted effort to bring about Iraqi compliance on these issues. We would urge a re-examination of the embargo to allow more humanitarian aid for the Iraqi people, and to ensure that it is more narrowly targeted so as not to destroy the lives of innocent civilians. Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, chairman of the Bishops' International Policy Committee, has expressed these concerns in detail to the Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, in a letter dated February 5 [go there]. We are sure that you are aware, Mr. President, that as recently as last Sunday Pope John Paul II repeated his appeal for a diplomatic solution to this crisis without resort to military means. Please be assured of our prayers for you and for our government as you confront this difficult and challenging threat to world peace. Sincerely yours, [signed] Cardinal Bernard Law Archbishop of Boston [signed] Cardinal James Hickey Archbishop of Washington [signed] Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua Archbishop of Philadelphia [signed] Cardinal Adam Maida Archbishop of Detroit [signed] Cardinal John O'Connor Archbishop of New York [signed] Cardinal Roger Mahony Archbishop of Los Angeles [signed] Cardinal William Keeler Archbishop of Baltimore [signed] Most Reverend Anthony Pilla President National Conference of Catholic Bishops |