Last revised: December 1999
Next Working Group Meeting: 5-7 October 2000 in Brussels

The Working Group (WG) defined its aims under three headings:-

(i) The dialogue within the Group was to be seen as part of a network of contacts extending to other persons with expertise and European institutions.

(ii) that the end product of the group should be to act in some way, but this should be on a solid foundation.

(iii) if a statement were to be produced, then this would be given to the Church & Society Commission to whom the WGs are accountable.

It was decided to determine priorities among the topics outlined for the Working Group . These are listed below in order of priority:

1. The security architecture in Europe.

   In order to explore this more usefully, it was felt that the next meeting should include input from/contact with NATO, and the office of the Council of Ministers.

   By April the group would have circulated their response to two papers on aspects of security architecture being prepared by members.

2. Conflict prevention and resolution.

   As well as an existing paper by one member on "Peacemaking", it was agreed that all members would be canvassed to assemble a dossier of pronouncements on Kosovo by churches before/during/after the bombing including the WCC study. The emphasis was to be on learning from the case study rather than making value judgments.

3. Ethnicity, religion and conflict.

   As well as a paper on this important topic it was agreed that a map of Europe showing ethnic/ religious makeup should be produced and conflicts during the past 50 years marked on it . That way it might be possible to unpack the language of the topic by showing the reality behind it, although allowance would have to be made for the way that politics sometimes "instrumentalised" religion.

4. Arms control.

   As there was now a new and arguably more dangerous situation involving nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, two members would develop a paper on this topic.

5. Terrorist and paramilitary groups.

   Problems of definition were immediately identified, and it was agreed to look at the issue at the October meeting, drawing on the experience of churches in Northern Ireland and other relevant situations (eg. Corsica).

6. Common and comprehensive security.

   Since this topic crossed boundaries of several Working Group areas, it was agreed to suggest to the CSC that it should be the main theme for the Commission meeting in 2002, and if agreed, this WG should be the lead group invited to work on the theme during 2001.

Further information about the Working Group can be had from Stewart Lamont, Executive Secretary, Brussels, Church and Society Commission, <eeccs@skypro.be>