That the Assembly:

War Criminals
47.1 express its commitment to solidarity with people of every faith seeking justice;

47.2 believes that neither the passage of time nor the vagaries of location should become pretexts for inaction in the pursuit of justice;

47.3 encourage the development and acceptance of international agreements and efforts in bringing to justice alleged war criminals and persons charged with genocide;

47.4 encourage the Australian Government to
· cooperate with relevant bodies within Australia and overseas in the pursuit of alleged war criminals and those charged with genocide;
· ensure that there are government or other officially recognised/authorised bodies in Australia with specific responsibility for the investigation and pursuit of alleged war criminals and those charged with genocide;
· adequately resource appropriate government or other officially recognised/authorised bodies to investigate and act upon all allegations of war crimes and genocide brought against persons known or thought to be residing in Australia;

47.5 inform the Australian Government of these resolutions.

Rationale:
As part of the commitment of the Uniting Church in Australia to interfaith dialogue, the Reference Committee for Relations with Other Faiths has engaged in discussion and exchange of information with peoples of many faith communities. Through dialogue with members of the Jewish community, we have been made increasingly aware of the deep pain and ongoing suffering felt by many concerning a perceived lack of Australian commitment to the pursuit of justice in relation to Nazi war criminals.

The concern, however, goes beyond one war in one time. The concern is for justice to be done for all peoples, in every time and place.

"Whether the Nazi Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, or the mass graves of Kosovo and Bosnia [or the atrocities of Timor and Indonesia] war criminals must be pursued and brought to account. Neither the passage of time, nor the vagaries of location, should become pretexts for the inaction in the pursuit of justice." Dr. Colin Reubenstein, Executive Director
Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (1999)

The Reference Committee for Relations with Other Faiths recognises that we are challenged by the Gospel to take into account the role of confession, forgiveness and reparation in the pursuit of justice for all. Justice must be tempered with mercy. Therefore, these proposals seek to pursue justice through adequate investigations of allegations of war crimes and charges of genocide rather than prescribe actions as a result of such investigations.

Members of our Committee have reflected and discussed these proposals and liaised with staff of the National Social Responsibility and Justice Agency in their preparation.