Middle East Minorities Call on UN to Establish “Interim Protected Areas” in Iraq & Syria

Representatives of Middle East minorities met on March 13 with missions of permanent members of UNSC as well as the Secretary General’s Political Department  (see http://www.copticsolidarity.com/press-releases/3496-mid-east-minorities-call-on-un-security-council-to-establish-interim-protected-areas).

Here-below is a memorandum delivered to the UNSG.

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Memo to the Secretary General of the United Nations

Mr. Ban Ki Moon

Regarding the Ethnic Cleansing of Ethno-Religious Minorities in Iraq & Syria

And Establishing Protected Zones

The Honorable Ban Ki Moon

Secretary General of the United Nations

New York, NY  10017                                                                

13th of March 2015

We, the representatives of the below co-signing organizations, representing the aspirations of the Yezidi and Christian (Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac) communities in Iraq, and following the systematic acts of ethnic cleansing, massacres, assassinations, abduction, rape, and kidnapping perpetrated by the “Islamic State” (known as Daesh) against these communities since June 2014, urge you to request an immediate meeting of the UN Security Council to issue a UNSCR in order to address the following urgent issues

1)      In view of the fact that the international terror organization known as “Islamic State” (Daesh) has seized large portions of Iraq and of Syria, including cities such as Mosul and Reqqa, has accumulated quantities of weapons and cash to use in pursuing their genocidal action against Iraq’s ethnic minorities, particularly in the north, and in Northern Syria as well;

2)      In view of the fact that the Iraqi state wasn’t able to yet to defeat this organization and thus the threat by IS (Daesh) against the aforementioned communities continues;

3)      In view of the fact that large scale killing and ethnic cleansing of Yezidis in the Sinjar area and Iraqi Christians, particularly Assyrians in the Nineveh Plain area as well as in the Al-Hassakeh province in Syria, have taken place and threaten these communities with eradication;

4)       And in view of the fact that the direct threat against the Iraqi and Syrian ethnic minorities at the hands of Jihadists is part of a global threat and pattern in the region against minorities in general, particularly in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt and most recently in Libya;

5) In view of the fact that ethnic cleansing and genocidal acts have been committed against a civilian population, breaching human and humanitarian rights as well as international law, threatening Peace and Security;

We urge you to draw the immediate attention of the Security Council to this threat to Peace and Security and request the following actions to be taken via a UNSCR Resolution:

In Iraq

1. The UN and all concerned nations, including the U.S., Canada, the EU, Russia and the Arab League members should make a concerted effort to liberate more than 7,000 Yazidi women, girls and boys detained by ISIS in several locations in Iraq and Syria

 2. We ask the United Nations, US, UK, Turkey, EU, NATO, Russia and other members of the international community to establish interim safe haven zones for the Yezidis, Assyrians and other minorities in the Sinjar region and the Nineveh Plain as well as in the Hasaka region in Syria. Put simply, the world cannot stand by and acquiesce to ethnic cleansing and genocide.

 3. Provide arms and weapons to the Yezidis and Assyrian- (Sinjar protection Forces; Sinjar Administrative Units and the Nineveh Plain Protection Units) as well as to the Syriac Military Council and Assyrians in Hasaka area in north Eastern part of Syria  that have been established since IS began marauding across Nineveh and in Hasaka.  There are men and women under unified command structures who are capable and willing to defend their ancient homelands, religion, culture and ancient history.  They need their equal rights as people to be able to defend their nations form Jihadi Terrorists

 5. Humanitarian aid must be sent directly to those minority groups internally displaced in Northern Iraq on an urgent basis.

 6. We ask the UN and all sympathetic governments around the world to develop refugee policies that can work quickly and effectively to provide new homes for needy and traumatized refugees, particularly Yezidis, Assyrians, Shebak, Mandean, Turkmen, Syriac, Chaldeans and others who urgently need help

7. Identify the crimes committed by ISIS against Christians and
Yezidis as ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide and begin the legal process of holding the terrorist group accountable.

Urgency In Syria

1.      Assisting in the efforts to free the Assyrian hostages of Al-Hasakeh province taken by IS on Feb 23

2.      Humanitarian aid to the displaced Assyrian and Yezidi villagers of the Assyrian and Yezidi villages in Al- Hasakeh that were attacked and captured by IS on Feb 23

3.      International protection (UN) for Syriac Assyrian and Yezidi communities in Al-Hasakeh province.

4.      Logistical assistance to local Syriac police (Sutoro) whose task is to protect villages and residential areas of Syriac Assyrians and Yezidis in Al-Hasakeh.

In Egypt

1. Condemn the atrocious slaughter by ISIS (Daesh) of 21 Coptic Egyptian workers in Libya and the killings by Jihadists of migrant Coptic Egyptian workers in Libya. Intervene to release hundreds of Coptic Egyptians held by ISIS and its allies in Libya.

2. Mount a UN operation in Libya to evacuate Egyptian Copts, and any Egyptian worker who have    been cut off from their mother country

3. Support the partnership between the Coptic Pope and the Grand Imam of al Azhar aiming at   protecting minorities from Terror violence in Egypt

We the undersigned organizations commit to assist you in all of these efforts.

Best regards

Mr. William Youmaran, President of Assyrian American National Federation

Mr. David William Lazar, Chairman, American Mesopotamian Organization (AMO)

Mr. Bassam Ishak, President of Council of Syriac Organizations

Mr. Loay Mikhael, Director Foreign Relation, The Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council

JD Caroline Doss Esq., Vice-President, Coptic Solidarity International

Mr. Magdi Khalil, Board Member, Coptic Solidarity International

Mr. Mirza Ismail, Chairman, Yezidi Human Rights Organization International

Mr. John Hajjar, Melkite Committee

Tom Harb, General Secretary MECHRIC and President of American Maronite Union

Dr. Walid Phares, Special Advisor