The following letter, printed on CMEP letterhead, was faxed to officials at the State Department and is being delivered to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Middle East subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee. The letter addresses U.S. policy toward Iraq and Iran, human rights and regional arms control.

February 25,  2005

Dr. Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
2201 C St. NW, Room 7226
Washington, DC 20520


Dear Secretary Rice:

Congratulations on becoming Secretary of State of the United States.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you in this challenging role.  We live in uncertain times; strong U.S. diplomacy and exemplary leadership have never been more important.

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of 20 church bodies and agencies who work together to advocate for U.S. policies and practices that we believe will contribute to a more just and peaceful Middle East.  Many CMEP member organizations have either churches, staff or programs in the Middle East.  

The primary focus for CMEP's work this year will be to promote balanced and active U.S. engagement in Israeli-Palestinian relations.  (On the day following his inauguration, President Bush received a letter signed by 57 Christian leaders that CMEP organized and that was published in the New York Times on January 21.) We applaud your meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during your first international trip as Secretary of State. We encourage your ongoing and active involvement as a new peace process emerges.

Noting that some CMEP Board members do not have policy language on regional issues, the Chair of the Board and Executive Director of CMEP write now to express concerns about U.S. policy regarding Iraq, human rights, Iran and arms control.  

Iraq.  The recent Iraqi elections offered powerful images of human courage and the aspiration for freedom.  But, as you know, many Iraqis are still anxious about long-term U.S. intentions in their country.  Based on feedback from our partners in the region, we believe it would be helpful for the Bush administration to publicly state that the United States has no intention to maintain permanent military bases in Iraq and that the bases that have been or are currently being built will be turned over to Iraqis in the near future.  

Furthermore, the wounds from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal are still deep. They are re-opened every time new details emerge about the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. We believe it is imperative for the Bush administration to state, unequivocally, that it is the policy of the U.S. government not to use or in any way to support or tolerate the practice of torture, regardless of whether or not the Geneva Conventions technically apply.

One of CMEP's foundational advocacy positions is that U.S. policy must foster respect for human rights based on full observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, human rights covenants of the United Nations, and the Geneva Conventions.  U.S. credibility for promoting democracy and respect for the rule of law -- one of President Bush's laudable goals --will be irreparably damaged if our nation cannot be unconditionally clear on an issue as straight forward as torture.

Iran.  We commend the high regard that you and the President place on the human rights of the Iranian people. The vigor of the human rights discourse and vibrancy of civil society in Iran, even under pressure from authorities, is promising and can be best supported by your insistence that all nations, including Iran, adhere to international human rights law and the conventions that it has signed.

We welcomed the reassurances you gave during your tour of Europe that a military attack by the United States on Iran was “simply not on the agenda at this point.”  We encourage the Administration to pursue an integrated transatlantic strategy in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency to address Iran's legitimate energy concerns, while gaining verifiable commitments from Iran not to build nuclear weapons.

Ultimately, however, we believe that the issue of weapons of mass destruction can be dealt with most effectively on a regional level.  In this regard, we urge consideration of the Middle East policy recommendation of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that the United States “proactively call for a regional dialogue to negotiate and implement the conditions necessary to achieve a WMD-free zone.” Thus, even as the United States and others should press nonproliferation objectives one state at a time, nonproliferation leaders also must act on an ambitious regional initiative.

We wish all the best for you in your new role and would welcome the opportunity to meet with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Rev. J. Daryl Byler                                             Corinne Whitlatch

Chair of the Board                                              Executive Director

Churches for Middle East Peace                         Churches for Middle East Peace