Iraqi archbishop calls for more involvement by U.N., Arab countries

Published: 2003-12-08

ROME (CNS) -- An Iraqi church leader said the answer to Iraq's problems is not a hasty U.S. military pullout, but greater involvement by the United Nations and Arab countries. A sudden withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces "would be a great act of irresponsibility," Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad told the Italian missionary news agency, MISNA, Dec. 5. "Neither the Americans nor the allies should leave the country. It would mean passing from anarchy to chaos," he said. He said it would long be remembered if Western powers simply created another crisis zone in the Middle East and walked away. "If the United Nations takes up the problems of Iraq with the consensus of the international community, including the Arab countries, then it will be a force recognized by everyone. Even most Iraqis would show support for it," he said. Archbishop Sleiman said that in retrospect it was clearly a mistake to dismantle the Iraqi army of 400,000 men immediately after the main battles ended in April. These soldiers are now dispersed in society, many unemployed, and may be participating in the guerrilla warfare, he said.

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