Protection of Christians internal issue – Assyrian leader

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Christians in Iraq “are not in need of calls made by the European Union to secure an international protection for them, after the withdrawal of the American forces from the country,” a leader in the Iraqi Christian Assyrian Democratic Movement said on Saturday. “The government and its security forces must carry out their missions to protect everybody, including the minorities, that are targets for direct threats by terrorist groups,” Yacub Guerges told IraqiNews.com news agency. “We are not in need of calls made by the European Union to the Iraqi government to agree on an international protection for the Christians.What we need are serious measures by the government and its security forces, including different forces among the Iraqi society, to create at atmosphere of pardoning, fraternity and national partnership, to guarantee the security of all,” he noted. “The protection of Christians and all other communities of the Iraqi peoples is an internal issue related to the Iraqis in general, and not for other parties or foreign states,” Guerges added. “We, as Christians reject international calls to protect us in particular.We support the stability of the situation and the role of the national security forces to protect all communities of the Iraqi people,” Guerges continued. “The American Forces, that have been stationed in Iraq did not do anything towards the exposure of the Iraqi people in general and the Christians specifically, to attacks by terrorists, which has pushed large numbers of Christians to desert their home places,” he added. Press reports have pointed out that the European Union had officially demanded Iraq‘s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to agree on guaranteeing the protection of Christians in Iraq following the withdrawal of the U.S.forces from Iraq at the end of the year.Reports point to Christians having been exposed to abductions, killings and attacks against their churches and religious institutions in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk.These acts have been pushing Iraqi Christians to migrate abroad, causing their numbers to dwindle in the country. SKH (TI)/SR 102