German Foreign Affairs Minister Guido Westerwelle made an unannounced visit to Iraq yesterday to discuss bilateral relations and the conditions of Christians in the country.
A source from the office of Usāmah al-Nujayfī, the head of parliament, told al-Sharq al-Awsat that following their meeting, al-Nujayfī said that the parliament discussed the conditions of Christians and put together a committee that issued orders that will hopefully help solve the issue. He added that the safety and security of Christians is top priority and that he refuses the idea of there being no Christians in Iraq.
The German Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that Westerwelle will be meeting with various leaders of Christian sects whose followers were killed in the Sayyidat al-Najāh Church massacre by al-Qā‘idah. During his meeting with Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Westerwelle expressed concern about violence against minorities in Iraq.
Westerwelle also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nūrī al-Mālikī, who confirmed that the Iraqi government is dedicated to keep Christians from immigrating. Samīr al-Nahāy of the Ministry of Immigrants said that said that the ministry is researching the situation and that Christians have been moving to other areas of Iraq and also to neighbouring countries.
Christian activist William Wirdā said that the parliamentary committee formed to solve the Christian condition has been ineffective due to internal conflicts. He said that studies show that over 400 families have moved from Baghdad to the Nineveh plains following threats by al-Qā‘idah.
Wirdā also said that he met with the British and French ambassadors to Baghdad and told them that Christians refuse the West’s invitations to bring them into their countries because that would not be a solution for the problem inside Iraq. Instead, he proposed that the West protect Christians inside Iraq.
