The leaders of seven international councils have joined in a letter “pastoral concern” to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, seeking a meeting on the war in Iraq, efforts to reduce global poverty, the Darfur crisis and U.N. reform, reports Ethics Daily.

|TOP|The letter follows meetings held in late September in New York and Washington between the leaders to coincide with the U.N.’s 60th anniversary World Summit.

The letter from the 7 general secretaries, who head Christian groups in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, read: “We wish to express to you at this time...our solidarity and support for all that you have been endeavouring to do to enable the United Nations to better serve the peoples of this globe in justice and equality.”

The leaders also said they were “deeply concerned about the war in Iraq” and laid forth the belief that “the most effective opportunity in that deeply complex situation is an international force” to replace the American-led coalition.

“We would be extremely supportive of you bringing together an international meeting to discuss such a possibility,” said the Christian leaders.

The U.N. opposed the U.S./U.K-led invasion of Iraq but continues to play a key role in the peace-building process and the reconstruction of the Iraqi state, particularly the forthcoming referendum on the proposed Iraqi constitution to be held on Saturday 15 October.

The leaders also expressed their commitment to working with Mr Annan “to ensure that the suffering and the necessity for action in Darfur are kept before the world community in such a way as to inspire and compel active response”.

Signatories to the letter of 26 September were the general secretaries to the All Africa Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, the Caribbean Conference of Churches, the Latin American Council of Churches, the Middle East Council of Churches, the Canadian Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches USA.