CAFOD urges world leaders to respect laws of war

Aid agency CAFOD appealed to the international community today, to observe international humanitarian law in any armed response to last week's atrocity in the United States. Cathy Corcoran, CAFOD's Head of External Affairs, said: "Both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have said we are at war, but so far we have heard little about the rules of war. These rules, laid out in the articles of international humanitarian law, commit all those taking military action to minimise civilian casualties and ensure that people have access to humanitarian aid." "International humanitarian law was drawn up by world leaders in response to the Second World War and was an attempt to limit the horrors of war. If this is truly to be a `war for civilisation' then the world's most powerful nations must surely be seen to respect the laws their forefathers created to make the world a more civilised place."