Letter to the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs: Visit Suffering Arameans in North Iraq
Stockholm, 14 August 2014
Today, the WCA reached out to Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs and requested him to personally see what Iraq's native Arameans and other threatened minorities are going through. In the letter, the WCA President further requested the Minister to encourage the Foreign Ministers of the EU to follow suit at their meeting in Brussels tomorrow.
Download the full letter in PDF
Dear Mr. Bildt,
I am writing you on behalf of the Aramean (Syriac) people, more than 100,000 of whom have found a new home in Sweden and about 10,000 of whom gathered last weekend in Stockholm in order to reach you.
Although the Arameans have a history of more than 3,000 years in Southeast Turkey, Iraq and Syria, this Semitic people and its Aramaic cultural heritage are now threatened with extinction in their home countries. US President Obama and the rest of his administration acknowledge that what is happening in these countries amounts to forthright genocide and ethnic cleansing.
It delights us that Your Excellency and H.E. the Swedish Prime Minister Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt realize this too. It is further encouraging that you are doing whatever you can to prevent the complete destruction of a unique part of human civilization, culture and history from the destroyed mosaic in the Middle East. This will also avert a higher influx of refugees from Iraq and Syria who are desperate to seek asylum in Sweden.
For years, our UN affiliated NGO has urged the various institutions of the international community to act pre-emptively before it may be too late to act at all. Now, we have no time to lose anymore and request Your Excellency to consider our recent letter sent to the United Nations Security Council, which contains five demands that reflect the needs and wishes of Iraq’s threatened minorities.
Owing to the extremely dire situation, we request Your Excellency to visit North Iraq early next week and ask the EU Foreign Ministers tomorrow to follow suit. This is to see with your own eyes the situation on the ground and talk to the displaced and suffering people to better contemplate all the recommendations. We are more than happy to accompany Your Excellency during this crucial visit.
Yours sincerely,
Johny Messo
President
World Council of Arameans (Syriacs)
previously Syriac Universal Alliance
