Measures to be taken to assure Christians, PM tells Vatican

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said his government would be ready to take whatever measures viewed as necessary by Christian leaders to assure the Christian population in Iraq, noting all Iraqis highly respect their Christian brothers. “The Iraqi government has been still is working on whatever measures to assure all citizens in general and the Christians of Iraq in particular so that everyone enjoy stability and safety,” Maliki said in statements during a meeting with the charge d’affaires of the Vatican nuncio in Iraq Yuannis Lahdhi Jayyed. “Christians have always been part of the history of Iraq and lived in amity among their Iraqi fellow citizens,” Maliki was quoted in a statement issued by his office and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The past few days have seen attacks with improvised explosive devices and rockets on houses inhabited by Christians in several neighborhoods of Baghdad, where dozens were killed or wounded and the houses severely damaged. The attacks followed a raid by gunmen on the Church of Sayedat al-Najah (Our Lady of Salvation) in Baghdad on October 31 during which they kept dozens of worshippers during a Sunday mass hostage. Security forces stormed the church, resulting in the death of 58 people, including five gunmen and seven security personnel. The wounded reached 75, including 15 army and police personnel. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has claimed responsibility for the attack and pledged to target Christians in Iraq again. “The takfirist ideology that allows the killing of others, be it Muslim or Christians or any other faith, is one that is alien to any divine religion or human values,” Maliki said. AmR (S) 1