Bishop praises President Bush for role in Mideast cease-fire
|
President George W. Bush |
Aug. 16, 2006
By United Methodist News Service
The president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops has written a letter
to U.S. President George W. Bush, praising him for his leadership in bringing
about a cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
“Thank you for your leadership in the United Nations adopting the resolution
which has served as the basis for the cease fire in Lebanon and Israel,” wrote
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie. “We are grateful that you have worked to lay
the foundation for further negotiations to bring long-term stability to the
region.”
In her Aug. 15 letter, Huie urged the president
to continue working through the United Nations to “broaden the participation
of those who will build a base for a lasting peace.”
“You can be assured that the United Methodist Church will mobilize relief
and recovery efforts as soon as possible,” Huie told Bush, who is also
a United Methodist.
|
Bishop Janice Huie |
Huie is serving a two-year term as president of
the bishops’ council
and leads the denomination’s Houston Area.
The cease-fire took effect Aug. 14, after the U.N. Security Council adopted
a resolution Aug. 11 calling for an end to the fighting. Lebanese troops, backed
by international peacekeepers, will be deployed in southern Lebanon as a buffer
force between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israel.
The latest round of violence began July 12, when Hezbollah guerillas attacked
Israeli forces, killing eight soldiers and kidnapping two. Israel responded
by attacking southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, and the violence escalated
with retaliatory rocket attacks on northern Israel. Civilian casualties mounted
on both sides of the border, and large numbers of people were forced to flee
their homes.
News media contact: Tim Tanton or Stephen Drachler, Nashville, Tenn., (615)
742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
|
|