The archbishop of Canterbury has warned MPs to consider all the aspects of a "delicate and dangerous situation" before making their decision on whether to vote for military intervention in the Syria conflict.
The Most Rev Justin Welby warned MPs, who will return early to parliament for an emergency vote on the issue on Thursday, that people not directly involved in the fighting faced a situation that was "beyond description and horrible".
Welby, who spent years promoting reconciliation in war zones in Africa and the Middle East, said there were "numerous intermediate steps" between doing nothing and full regime change in Syria.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph the archbishop urged MPs – who he said did not appear to be "slavering [to] unleash the dogs of war" – to check they were sure of what was happening in Syria. "The things which 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?
"I have had a lot of conversations with people in the region. I think the overwhelming sense is of a really moving and terrible sense of fear about what might come out of, what might be happening in the next few weeks – not predicated on people doing one thing or people doing another, just a sense that this a terribly, terribly dangerous time."
But Welby added that there was no good answer to the crisis in Syria and that a simple solution "just doesn't exist".
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Archbishop of Canterbury urges caution on Syria | UK news | theguardian.com
The Most Rev Justin Welby warned MPs, who will return early to parliament for an emergency vote on the issue on Thursday, that people not directly involved in the fighting faced a situation that was "beyond description and horrible".
Welby, who spent years promoting reconciliation in war zones in Africa and the Middle East, said there were "numerous intermediate steps" between doing nothing and full regime change in Syria.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph the archbishop urged MPs – who he said did not appear to be "slavering [to] unleash the dogs of war" – to check they were sure of what was happening in Syria. "The things which 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?
"I have had a lot of conversations with people in the region. I think the overwhelming sense is of a really moving and terrible sense of fear about what might come out of, what might be happening in the next few weeks – not predicated on people doing one thing or people doing another, just a sense that this a terribly, terribly dangerous time."
But Welby added that there was no good answer to the crisis in Syria and that a simple solution "just doesn't exist".
...
Archbishop of Canterbury urges caution on Syria | UK news | theguardian.com
