Kirkuk prelate says Christians’ self-rule demand “fantasy”

BRUSSELS / IraqiNews.com: The Kirkuk and Mosul Archbishop of Chaldean Christians termed  demands to give the Christians in Ninewa, northern Iraq, self-rule as a “fantasy and trap.” “This could cause problems for the Christians,” said Lewis Sako in an interview with IraqiNews.com on the sidelines of a conference under the rubric ‘The Future of Christianity in Middle East,’ which was held at the Parliamentarians’ House in the Belgian capital Brussels on Friday. Sako, however, expressed cautious optimism over a remarkable improvement in security conditions, which, he said, helped many displaced Christian families to return to their homes. “The media hype about setting up a province for the Christians was the reason behind what happened to the Christians in Mosul and other areas,” he said. A few months ago, Christians in Ninewa have been targets for attacks and forced displacement by armed groups before the Iraqi government forces intervened in the province. “The area does not have only Christians there. There are other ethnic and religious groups. Christians could be an easy target by others who live with them. We might have problems on a daily basis,” Sako added.   AmR (S)/SR 259