The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged British Prime Minister David Cameron not to “rush to judgment” over military action in Syria, saying, it could have unforeseeable consequences across the Muslim world.
Justin Welby’s comments were published in the Daily Telegraph newspaper before the meeting of Britain’s National Security Council on Wednesday which Cameron will chair.
Parliament will debate Britain’s response to chemical weapons attacks in Syria on Thursday after Cameron cut short his holiday and recalled lawmakers (MPs) to address the issue.
Welby, leader of the 80-million-member Anglican Church, said members of parliament must be sure about the facts before acting in what is a “really delicate and dangerous situation”.
“The things MPs will have to bear in mind in what is going to be a very, very difficult debate is firstly: are we sure about the facts on the ground?” he said.
“Secondly: is it possible to have a carefully calibrated response, including armed force, if you are sure about the facts on the ground, that does not have unforeseeable ramifications across the whole Arab and Muslim world?”
He acknowledged that people outside government, including himself, did not know what the true situation in Syria.
“The government and the Americans are seeing intelligence nobody else sees – I just think we have to be very careful about rushing to judgment,” he said.
He said that the situation was enormously complex, and reflected on the mood of Christians across the region.
“I think the overwhelming sense is that of a really moving and terrible sense of fear about what might be happening in the next few weeks,” he said.
The impact on people not directly involved in the fighting is “beyond description and horrible”.
No comments:
Post a Comment