§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consult with the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Damascus and Amman to ensure that adequate assistance is afforded to Chaldo-Assyrian Christians who have recently fled from Iraq. [HL4610]
§ Baroness AmosDfID is currently in the process of liaising with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to establish a clearer picture of UNHCR's intentions vis-à-vis this group of refugees.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they are taking, in conjunction with the interim Government of Iraq and the United States, to protect the lives of Chaldo-Assyrian Christians from murder, and their church buildings from destruction by bombs. [HL4609]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)UK and US officials in Iraq regularly meet representatives of the Christian communities, as we do other communities, and we have raised our concerns about their treatment with the Iraqi authorities. Our missions in Iraq are monitoring the situation closely. We will continue to support and train the Iraqi security forces to uphold the law of the land and the human rights of all Iraqis, as set down in the transitional administrative law, which remains valid until a new constitution is agreed by an elected Iraqi Assembly after January 2005. We are also supporting various initiatives to encourage dialogue between the representatives of different faiths and sects in Iraq to strengthen co-operation between the many moderates on all sides and to prevent extremists from raising sectarian tensions.
We have joined Christian and Muslim leaders in Iraq in condemning the recent deplorable attacks on Christian churches and communities. We also welcomed a statement from Iraq's senior Shia Muslim leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, calling for an end to the attacks and for the need to respect the rights of Christians and those of other religious faiths and their right to live in Iraq peacefully.
3WA
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that an autonomous region near Mosul should be established for the Chaldo-Assyrian ethnic and religious minority; and whether they will ensure that special provision is made for this minority in any future constitution of Iraq. [HL4611]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanIraq's future constitution and state structure is a matter for the Iraqis to debate and decide in the transitional National Assembly to be elected in January 2005. We will urge the Iraqis to ensure that the fundamental rights of all its citizens are protected, regardless of their sect or ethnicity.